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Buses and ferries ready for Idul Fitri exodus: Govt
As the Idul Fitri holidays that end the fasting month of Ramadan grow near, local transportation agencies say they are ready to accommodate a huge exodus of passengers from Bali
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s the Idul Fitri holidays that end the fasting month of Ramadan grow near, local transportation agencies say they are ready to accommodate a huge exodus of passengers from Bali.
Public Transport Association (Organda) Bali chapter head Ketut Eddy Dharma Putra said that the number of holiday travelers who will mudik, or return home, would increase at least 10 percent from last year’s.
“The number of migrants in Bali has been increasing sharply. Most of are Muslims who will spend Idul Fitri in their hometowns in Java, Madura, Sumatra and Lombok,” Putra said.
Putra said that the number of passengers using ground transportation such as buses or trains would increase since most of the travelers could not afford expensive airline tickets.
Bali’s busiest routes will be from Denpasar to major destinations in Jember, Surabaya, Malang and Blitar in East Java, he said.
Other routes expected to see heavy traffic are Denpasar to Yogyakarta and Surakarta in Central Java; Denpasar to Bandung, West Java and Denpasar to Jakarta.
Denpasar Transportation office head I Gde Astika said the mayor’s office has prepared 180 inter-city and inter-province buses, 68 inter-city buses and 331 minibuses to ensure adequate transportation for the Idul Fitri exodus.
“We have coordinated with a several transportation agencies and other offices to deploy additional buses, including tourist buses, if necessary,” Astika said.
Last year, the municipality rented several tourist buses for last-minute passengers who failed to get bus tickets.
Silaban, operational manager of the Gilimanuk Ferry Port which links Bali and Java, said that the port would host 21 passenger ships and seven cargo ships seven days before and seven days after Idul Fitri.
“The number of passengers crossing the Bali Strait will increase 500 percent during the holiday period,” said Silaban.
The Gilimanuk Ferry Port will also see 200 percent increase in the number of cars and other four-wheeled vehicles of between 1,300 and 1,500 cars a day. To ensure port security, the management has installed 34 security cameras.
