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Indonesia is a fairly large country consisting mainly of islands. The archipelagic nature of the country plays an important role in designing the transportation system of the country. The major form of Indonesia transportation is roadways with a total length of 370,500 kilometer (in 2003) and growing. Most of the important cities are connected by bus services through roadways. There are direct and regular bus services between major cities like Java, Sumatra and Bali with no stops in-between. The remote areas are served by mini buses or vans. Buses and vans also form the primary transport of cities. Taxis, autorickshaws or cycle rickshaws also serve as alternate transports. The cycle rickshaws called becak by the people act as a convenient and cheap form of Indonesia transportation. Being blamed for causing traffic congestion, the becak is banned in most parts of central Jakarta. Alongside the paved roadways, Indonesia also has a large part of its roads unpaved. There are various toll roads, most expensive of them being Cipularang Toll road, connecting Jakarta and Bandung. The railways mainly provide transportation for long distance traffic or bulk commodities. There are 4 unconnected networks of the railway system in Java and Sumatra. Two major rail lines running the entire length of Java constitute the most railways in the country. A commuter rail service also runs in Jakarta metropolitan area. Sea transports are important for trade and transportation alike. Each Indonesian island has at least one major port city. Boats here range from large maritime vessels to small motorized transports. In between major junctions of Sumatra, Java and Bali multiple car ferries run frequently daily. Long distance ferry services connect to distant Indonesian islands or neighboring nations. Many of the islands lack roads and river or sea transport is the main form of transportation there. Airways provide transportation where other forms of transport are unavailable. Domestic airlines connect many of the cities having airports. The Indonesia transportation makes traveling enjoyable with their various unconventional forms of transport.
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