American Tourist Goes Viral After Praising Jakarta’s Commuter Line Train

The YouTube video of the tourist’s review has been watched more than 396 thousand times since being uploaded.

Jakarta’s commuter line train (also known as KRL Commuter Line or KRL) has recently made headlines on the internet — for a good reason, this time. In a YouTube video that was uploaded on the 24th of April, an American tourist with the YouTube username That Evan Guy is visibly impressed by the commuter line train in comparison to the New York City subway train. Since the video was uploaded, the tourist’s review has gained more than 396 thousand views on YouTube as well as 13 thousand likes.

In his video, That Evan Guy can be seen entering the Sawah Besar KRL station as he regards it favourably in comparison to the subway station in New York City. About the station, he gushes, “I’ve never taken public transport in Jakarta before, so this is my first impression. Check it out — the stairs are clean! In New York, you can’t see the floor [of the subway station] because of all the gum. Everybody throws their gum on the floor.”

As That Evan Guy purchases his KRL ticket manually at the cashier, he goes to Platform 2 heading for the Cikini KRL station. He is later moved by the cleanliness of the platform and the railway, quipping, “I don’t see any rats! When you go to a New York [train] station, you’ve got to watch out where the rat faecal matter is, where the human faecal matter is, where the human pee is, and then, rats! They might touch your leg.”

That Evan Guy is also curious about the inside of the KRL as he wonders, “Are there gonna be homeless people everywhere?” Once he steps inside, the tourist describes the interior and the condition inside the KRL as “cool, doesn’t smell, and clean”. He also clocks no homeless people inside the train wagon into which he has entered. In addition, he compares the relatively quiet atmosphere inside the train wagon with a documented clip he made about the atmosphere inside the New York subway train wagon, in which a family can be seen getting verbally harassed by their fellow passengers.

Lastly, That Evan Guy praises the congenial behaviour of the passengers inside his KRL train wagon. To showcase its significance, That Evan Guy also includes a different clip in which an elderly American lady is seen being harassed by a youngster at what appears to be a drugstore in New York City.

“I just witnessed something amazing — and it’s a part of Indonesian culture,” That Evan Guy speaks to his camera. “This young man was sitting, but as soon as a lady came inside, he got up for her. Wow, Indonesian culture. Amazing!”

KRL, which stands for “Kereta Rel Listrik” (lit. “electric rail train” or “electric railcar”), is a commuter rail system for Greater Jakarta in Indonesia. It was previously known as KRL Jabodetabek as it is currently operated by KAI Commuter (KAIC/KCI), a subsidiary of the Indonesian national railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI). As of December 2019, KRL operates 1,057 trips per day by 90 trains.

[embedded content]