The South Sumatra Light Railways Management Center (BPKARSS) recorded an increased passenger occupancy in 2023. Towards the end of 2023, based on the latest data on 26 November 2023, South Sumatra LRT recorded a total of 3.624.431 passengers. A very high number when compared to 2022 which only reached 3.087.735.

The daily passenger average for South Sumatra LRT is around 10.950. The figure is quite high when compared to 2022 which reached 8.459 and 2021 which was at 4.381 passengers. This number includes passengers who get on and off using the South Sumatra LRT on weekdays and weekends.

Head of BPKARSS Rode Paulus said the increase occurred because of the increasing public interest in riding the South Sumatra LRT. "Especially at several stations such as Ampera, DJKA, and Bumi Sriwijaya, passengers are crowding," he said. The average passenger comes from traders, students, to office workers.

On the other hand, the significant increase also affected efforts to increase core and non-core revenue. "The core includes the launch of feeders, organized events, edutrip/educational trip, digitization of payments, use of promo/discount rates, and improvement of service facilities," he said.

Meanwhile, non-core units include asset utilization of LRT pillars, portals, and parapets. Asset utilization of South Sumatra LRT facilities such as stations, as well as collaboration and promotion. "As a public service agency unit, we are given the freedom to manage the various assets we have, to improve services at South Sumatra LRT," he said.

He hopes that the efforts that have been made can achieve the passenger target of 4 million. "This target was given by the Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi directly to us. Of course, it is a challenge in itself, how we have to achieve it," he said.

Since the operation of the South Sumatra LRT in 2018, the tiny passenger graph has climbed. In 2018, the number of passengers was 922.432. In 2019 it penetrated 2.619.159. In 2020 it decreased due to COVID-19, namely 1.053.637 people. And in 2021 it reached 1.599.133. And finally, in 2022 it reached 3.087.735.

Rode hopes that BPKARSS will continue to improve South Sumatra LRT services to realize the National Movement to Return to Public Transportation (GNKAU). "This movement is the government's vision to attract public interest in taking public transportation," he said.