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s part of an effort to improve its services, state-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) launched on Monday automated ticketing machines that will enable passengers to select seats on their own.

With the electronic ticketing machines, passengers can buy tickets just hours before trains'€™ departure times.

'€œWe see high enthusiasm from the public in using the machines,'€ KAI president director Edi Sukmoro said during the launch at Gambir railway station in Central Jakarta.

According to Edi, the e-ticketing kiosks have been operating since April 11 and had served approximately 80 transactions within their first 36 hours.

He said that the first two e-kiosk machines were installed at Senen Station, Jakarta, on March 13, and had served around 500 transactions within their first two weeks.

'€œUp until now, the total transactions at the first two machines has reached around 2,000,'€ Edi said in a press conference.

Within the next two months, the company will install around 50 e-kiosks at 12 major stations across Java, including Bandung, Cirebon, Yogyakarta, Malang and Jember.

KAI commercial director Bambang Eko Martono said that the machines would allow passengers to buy tickets up until four hours before departure. '€œWe are currently at the stage of improving these machines so they can be used to purchase tickets one hour before departure,'€ he said.

With the operation of the e-kiosks, which is a result of the company'€™s cooperation with state telecommunications company PT Telkom'€™s subsidiary PT Finnet Indonesia, KAI hopes to see around 70 percent non-counter sales this year, which would reduce its operational costs.

Bambang said that the railway company expected to see an increase of up to 4 percent in train passenger numbers during this year'€™s annual Idul Fitri exodus. He said that the number might increase to 5.7 million passengers, up from 5.5 million recorded last year.

He said that economy class train tickets for five days ahead of Idul Fitri '€” which is set to fall on July 17 '€” were already sold out. However, he said that the company would sell additional tickets and operate extra trains ahead of the holiday.

He said that a total of 22 executive trains would be provided by state-owned train manufacturer PT INKA in May.

According to Bambang, the train operator will be able to serve 88,676 passengers per day this year, increasing from 79,654 passengers last year.

'€œWe increased the capacity by around 11 percent this year, as we have operated more trains,'€ he said.

In 2014, the firm booked a total of Rp 332 billion in revenue during the Idul Fitri holiday from July 18 to Aug. 8. The figure was up 14 percent from Rp 292 billion in the same period of 2013.