How to get from Jakarta city center to Jakarta International airport by public transport
If you are alone or traveling with a tight budget, the bus is the best way to reach the airport! The DAMRI (Indonesian state-owned public transit bus company) operate buses from Gambir to Soekarno–Hatta International Airport.
The DAMRI bus terminal is located nearby a train station – Stasiun Gambir – on the right side if you are looking side, nearby a huge square with the National Monument (Manunen Nasional).
The buses leave from Gambir terminal every 15 minutes from 3 a.m. to 9 p.m., except the two first buses early morning
The ticket cost 40.000 Rp.
The trip takes around one hour, but watch out that Jakarta has intense traffic that can extend this journey for three hours… so go with time if you are traveling during the rush hours or on long weekends.
How to reach Terminal Gambir :
Yes, Jakarta is huge and probably you will not stay close by Gambir… if you accommodation is nearby Jalan Jaksa (the most popular backpackers area of Jakarta) you can reach Gambir on foot, as the distance is around 1.5 km.
But from others areas in the city, like Cikini where i stayed, the easiest and option is to get a GoJek, Grab or Uber moto-taxi service, as it will cost around 10.000 Rp, and you can avoid to be stuck in the traffic jams. This is good if you travel alone and with not much luggage, as your backpack must be on your shoulders, but think that for two people the tuk-tuk or a taxi will be better, but go with plenty of time if you are traveling around rush hours.