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ar rental companies in Indonesia are enjoying positive growth ahead of the Idul Fitri festivities when about eight million people travel to their hometowns by private cars.

As of today, major car rental company executives said that almost 80 percent of their cars and buses have been booked for the holidays.

“Customers’ needs during the Idul Fitri season are growing, especially for MPV cars such as Toyota Kijang Avanza, Daihatsu Xenia and Kijang Innova because they are perfect cars for traveling with family members,” Pongki Pamungkas, president director of TRAC Astra Rent a Car, a subsidiary of publicly-listed automotive distributor PT Astra International, told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

He said the company saw up to a 25 percent increase in demand during the fasting month this year compared to the fasting month last year.

“The demand continues to increase every year because renting a car provides customers more flexibility,” he added.

He said that TRAC offered special packages to its customers, including pre-dawn meals or fast-breaking in a restaurant that they collaborate with during their homeward bound trips.

He said that on average, customers rent their cars for seven days for travelling within Java and the southern part of Sumatra.

During the Islamic holiday this year, TRAC Astra Rent a Car operates up to 1,500 cars, sedans and MPVs for home bound travelers.

He said all of their cars would be out a week before Idul Fitri, which is predicted to fall on Aug. 19 and 20.

Another rental car player, PT Cipaganti Citragraha, also saw higher demand during this month compared to regular months.

Cipaganti marketing communication head Astri Prikasih Aditya said that almost 250 cars that they rent in Jakarta and Bandung have been booked.

“Even two weeks before the fasting month began we had received several bookings from our customers,” Astri told the Post.

Similar to TRAC Astra Rent a Car, Cipaganti’s most favored car type was the MPVs. However, she said some customers chose high-end cars, such as the Toyota Alphard.

They offered one week and 10 day rental packages for its customers with prices starting at Rp 3 million (US$318). White Horse, a subsidiary of tour and travel company, Panorama Group, have seen all of its MPV cars and buses booked during the Islamic holiday this year.

White Horse corporate communication manager Arya Wardhana said most of its buses were rented by companies who provided collective trip for their employees.

“The trend of collective trips have brought considerable benefits to our company. Most of the buses are used to transport people to their hometowns in Central Java and East Java,” Arya told the Post.

In addition to mudik bareng (returning home together), he said that families rented buses to visit popular tourism sites such as Borobudur Temple in Central Java, or Apple Garden in Malang, East Java, during this season.

The Transportation Ministry estimated that the number of people traveling by car during this year’s Idul Fitri exodus would reach 8.02 million, a 5.6 percent increase from the same period last year.

For bus travelers, the figure is predicted to reach 5.59 million people.