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Transport authorities gear up for annual Idul Fitri exodus
The number of people using public transportation during this year’s Idul Fitri exodus will each 22.83 million.
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A long line of vehicles at the Gadog toll gate, Ciawi, Puncak, Bogor Regency, West Java during Idul Fitri holiday in June last year. (Antara/Arif Firmansyah)
A
lthough the long Idul Fitri holiday season is only about a month away, transport authorities have begun preparatory work to ensure that the annual mass exodus involving millions of travelers runs smoothly.
From seven days prior until seven days after Idul Fitri, which falls on June 5 and 6, the Transportation Ministry estimates that 22.83 million people will be heading to their home towns by air, sea, road and train. The number has increased by 4.14 percent compared to last year’s figure.
Meanwhile, the number of private vehicles used for the homecoming exodus will reach 10.61 million across Indonesia, up by 13.09 percent. The ministry estimates that the exodus will peak on May 31, while the return exodus peak will occur on June 9.
“Land and air will be the favorite mode of transportation this year. People using land transportation will increase significantly due to the opening of new toll roads,” said Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi during a coordination meeting on the preparation for the annual exodus early this week. He added that the increase in air fares had discouraged many people from taking planes.
The ministry’s director general of land transportation, Budi Setyadi, said many travelers from Greater Jakarta would use the transJava toll toad this year.
Out of a total of 14.9 million people, who will travel from Greater Jakarta to various destinations, as many as 4.3 million will use their own cars. From that total, 1.71 million people (399,962 cars) are set to use the transJava toll road, while others will use the Pantura or Southern routes.
“TransJava will see the most travelers [from Greater Jakarta who will travel by car], as 40 percent of them are expected to try it out. This will be a good revenue source, but we are also anticipating possible problems that may occur,” Budi added.
