Holidaymakers are expected to start leaving the capital city on Thursday, a week before the largest Muslim holiday of Idul Fitri on June 5 and 6, with millions expected to take the newly inaugurated trans-Java toll road to reach home, according to official forecasts.

The Transportation Ministry’s research body estimates that 14.9 million residents of Greater Jakarta, 44.1 percent of the total population of the area, will leave the capital for their hometowns, with Central Java as the most popular destination with 37.68 percent of travelers, followed by West Java (24.89 percent) and East Java (11.14 percent).

The ministry expects an increase in the number of motorists amid stubbornly high airfares that have coincided with the opening of the trans-Java toll road. The data suggests that 4.45 million travelers, around 30 percent, will travel by public bus, while another 28.9 percent will use private cars. The remaining holidaymakers are expected to travel by train (16.7 percent), by air (9.5 percent) and by motorcycle (6.3 percent).

Jakarta resident Anggara Bayu Pratama and his wife Nova are among those who plan to drive via the trans-Java toll road to Yogyakarta. He has even offered vacant seats for other holidaymakers who wish to travel to the same destination.

“This is the most reasonable option [because] plane tickets are very expensive. I’m offering our vacant seats to those who are willing to share the cost of tolls and the gas,” he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

The 933-kilometer trans-Java toll road stretches from Merak in Banten to Pasuruan in East Java. Discounted tolls that the government has applied since its opening on Dec. 20 last year will still be in place until the Idul Fitri holiday season.

Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono recently pointed out that the toll for the Jakarta-Cikampek road worked out at only Rp 200 (1.4 US cents) per km, because it is a very old stretch. The toll for the Cikopo-Palimanan (Cipali) section is set at Rp 700 per km, and the newer roads have tolls between Rp 1,100 and 1,500 per km.

Toll road operators have opened 75 rest areas along the road, 25 of which have been constructed this year. All rest areas are equipped with toilets, food kiosks, prayer spaces, parking lots and gas stations.

Anggara said his return trip from Jakarta to Yogyakarta will cost approximately Rp 600,000 in total, including gas, tolls and meals.

This is considerably cheaper than traveling by air during the holiday season, with a one-way trip costing up to Rp 900,000 per person for the same destination.

To avoid severe congestion, the government also plans to apply a one-way system on the trans-Java toll road. The plan will be implemented from KM 70 Cikampek, West Java, to KM 262 in West Brebes, Central Java, from May 30 to June 2.

West Java Police traffic unit chief Sr. Comr. Mohamad Aris said the policy would be in place only from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Other than that, both directions of the toll road will operate as normal so travelers can still access the toll road to reach Jakarta and Banten, to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport or Merak Port.

“We will apply a contraflow system from KM 29 [in Bekasi] to KM 70 from Bandung to Jakarta so there will be no one-way [policy] on that particular section,” Aris said.

Another one-way system will be applied from June 8 to 10 to alleviate expected congestion on the way back to the capital.

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi recently estimated that around 22 million people across the nation will travel to their hometowns by air, sea, road and rail. The figure is a 4.14-percent increase from last year.

The management of Belawan Port in Medan, North Sumatra, is also expecting an increase in the number of holidaymakers traveling by sea as a result of the high airfares.

On Tuesday, the KM Kelud sailing from Tanjung Priok in Jakarta with at least 3,071 passengers on board arrived at the port, before resuming the journey to Batam in Riau.

The head of the Medan office of state-owned ship operator Pelni, Mutfi Israr, said the arrival of the KM Kelud marked the beginning of the exodus season this year.

“We expect a 10-percent increase in the number of incoming travelers this year [compared to last year],” he said.

Meanwhile, state-owned railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) is operating several sleeper cars in Java to anticipate increased demand. After launching four Luxury 1 sleeper cars last year, the company launched Luxury 2 last week.

The Luxury 2 cars will be on the Argo Lawu and Argo Dwipangga plying the Jakarta-Surakarta, Central Java; Jakarta-Yogyakarta and Gajayana Jakarta-Malang, East Java routes. The Luxury 1 cars, meanwhile, will operate on the Argo Bromo Anggrek Jakarta-Surabaya, East Java, route. Costing Rp 750,000 for a one-way trip, passengers will be spoiled with meals and free-flow snacks and beverages.

Meanwhile, at least 160,000 security personnel will be deployed across the country’s 34 provinces.

The security operation, labeled Operation Ketupat, will take place between May 29 and June 10 and involve, among others, 93,589 police personnel, 13,131 TNI personnel, 18,906 officials from relevant ministries and agencies and 11,720 Public Order Agency personnel.

“Operation Ketupat 2019 will be carried out simultaneously with the phases of the 2019 general election and thus the potential for disturbances during the operation is more complex,” National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian said during a joint security briefing in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The authorities are set to prioritize security measures at hundreds of terminals, train stations, seaports and airports as well as at thousands of shopping centers, tourist sites and mosques across the country.

The South Sumatra Police say they will ensure security along dangerous zones by deploying nine snipers in certain locations along the exodus routes.

— Riza Roidila Mufti in Jakarta, Apriadi Gunawan in Medan and Yulia Savitri in Palembang contributed reporting

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