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Travelers gear up for homecoming
Erwida Maulia , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 09/04/2008 10:17 AM | National
The Idul Fitri holidays are more than three weeks away, but 24-year-old Wulan is already worried about not getting a train ticket to travel to her hometown of Surakarta, Central Java.
"I'm planning to buy a ticket on Sunday. I'm not sure if they're still available, I hope I can get a spare ticket," said the private sector employee, adding her work schedule prevented her from queuing for the ticket earlier.
Wulan said she preferred traveling by train because it was affordable, and more comfortable and less time-consuming than traveling by bus.
"It takes me eight hours to reach my hometown by train, but 12 hours by bus," she added.
Homecoming, better known as mudik, has become a tradition for many Indonesian Muslims ahead of Idul Fitri, which marks the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan. This year, the Idul Fitri holidays are expected to fall on October 1 and 2.
Most Muslims choose to spend the holidays with family and friends in their hometowns, although the period surrounding the commute can be hectic.
The number of the travelers keeps increasing each year.
The Transportation Ministry estimates the number of people going on mudik will rise by 6.4 percent to 15.8 million people, of whom 9.9 million will use land transportation, three million will use river or lake-crossings, 1.9 million will go by air and one million by sea.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Transportation Minister Jusman Syafii Djamal said train travelers would number 2.4 million people, while the number of motorcycles used for the journey would rise by 18 percent to 2.51 million.
The number of buses, trucks and cars used for mudik is expected to increase slightly to 1.89 million.
Jusman said the load factor for all transportation modes prepared by his ministry would be sufficient for travelers.
"The total load factor of all transportation modes is 35.67 million -- more than double the number of travelers," he said.
Jusman added all trains, ships and aircraft would undergo inspection before being allowed to carry passengers.
"We will prosecute officers allowing unworthy vehicles to carry passengers," he warned.
Police will provide protection for motorcycle convoys to prevent accidents, said National Police traffic directorate officer Brig. Gen. Edhi Susilo.
The Public Works Ministry also announced that 10 days before the holidays, the main northern Java coast road -- popularly known as Pantura -- would sport four lanes, up from the current two. Fatal accidents are frequent along the more than 1,200-kilometer stretch of road straddling West and East Java.
Djaelani Sutomo, head of state oil and gas firm PT Pertamina's retail fuel division, said airline fares could decrease ahead of Idul Fitri, following a global decline in oil prices over the past two months.
