Spatial Tenure Conflicts in First-Mile Infrastructure: Evaluating the Implementation Gap of Transit Facility Standards in Surabaya’s Wirawiri Suroboyo Feeder Service

Abstract

The integration of formal feeder services into high-density urban settlements often encounters spatial constraints that challenge the implementation of standardized transport infrastructure. This study evaluates the implementation of the Wirawiri Suroboyo feeder service in Surabaya by examining the gap between the National Minimum Service Standards (SPM) and the physical realities of dense urban kampungs. Using a mixed-method approach, the research combines a comprehensive physical audit of 277 feeder stopping points (N=277) with a purposive user perception survey (N=49) to assess infrastructure performance. to assess infrastructure provision and user priorities. The findings reveal a pronounced implementation gap, where severely constrained rights-of-way and fragmented spatial conditions limit the provision of standard feeder infrastructure. Despite these constraints, user perceptions indicate that basic safety and comfort attributes remain critical, with lighting (x̄=4.92) and roofed shelter (x̄=4.90) identified as non-negotiable needs among transit-dependent users. This condition highlights a structural mismatch between land-based service standards and the spatial contexts in which feeder services operate. Rather than framing the issue as a technical design deficiency, the study positions feeder infrastructure provision as a planning and governance challenge shaped by spatial tenure and implementation capacity. The findings contribute to urban transport planning discourse by emphasizing the need for adaptive, context-sensitive approaches to service standard implementation in dense urban environments, particularly within cities of the Global South.