Exodus peaks as Idul Fitri holidays near<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Yesterday's wave of departures saw the biggest
\ncrowds at the Pulo Gadung bus terminal and the Senen train
\nstation.<\/p>\n
Around 70,000 people left from the Pulo Gadung bus terminal
\nalone yesterday, the highest number so far from one terminal.<\/p>\n
Areas around the terminal were heavily congested.<\/p>\n
Bus operators closed ticket booths and sold tickets aboard
\nbuses, making competition for seats fierce.<\/p>\n
As soon as they spotted a bus, passengers, including women and
\nchildren, fought one another for seats.<\/p>\n
Prospective passengers, dragging their belongings, joined
\ncrowds waiting for buses at the terminal entrance.<\/p>\n
\"If I wait until the bus enters the terminal, I will miss it,\"
\nsaid Karyani, a housemaid heading for Purwokerto, Central Java,
\nwhile she struggled to carry her heavy luggage.<\/p>\n
Marzuki, a Pulo Gadung terminal official, said several
\npassengers had been waiting since dusk the day before.<\/p>\n
From 8 a.m. Thursday to 8 a.m. yesterday, 49,076 people left
\nPulo Gadung. By 2 p.m. yesterday, there had been 12,653
\npassengers.<\/p>\n
\"Usually, the number of passengers will increase in the
\nafternoon,\" said Abdul Hakim, head of the terminal.<\/p>\n
Yesterday's explosion of travelers led terminals to call for
\nextra buses. In Pulo Gadung, 11 extra buses began operating, and
\n32 in Kampung Rambutan, East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The city land transportation control agency allotted 1,085
\nextra buses to Pulo Gadung and 350 to Kampung Rambutan terminal.<\/p>\n
Other main terminals, Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta and
\nKalideres in West Jakarta were not too crowded, with several
\nbuses waiting for passengers.<\/p>\n
In Lebak Bulus, scalpers raised fares far above permitted
\nincreases. One was asking Rp 48,000 for an economy class bus
\nheading to Purworejo, Central Java, the normal fare is Rp 35,000.<\/p>\n
The city's nine main terminals and 15 additional terminals
\nrecorded that 149,818 people left on 3,407 buses Thursday.<\/p>\n
From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. yesterday, 45,358 people left the city
\non 972 buses from Pulo Gadung.<\/p>\n
By 1 p.m. yesterday 28,823 people had departed from the six
\nstations. On Thursday by 11 p.m., 71,308 had departed from train
\nstations, 26,000 from Senen alone.<\/p>\n
Spokesperson for the state railway company Perumka, Bambang
\nWalujodjati, estimated the number of passengers would have peaked
\nlate yesterday evening. \"Most people prefer to travel at night,\"
\nBambang said.<\/p>\n
\"The prediction is based on the assumption that most people
\nexpect to arrive in their hometowns today (Saturday), a day
\nbefore Idul Fitri, to prepare and rest before the Idul Fitri
\ncelebration Sunday,\" Bambang said.<\/p>\n
Perumka, he said, has prepared 11 extra trains to accommodate
\npassengers. Other officials said the peak would continue until
\ntoday, given the less than expected number of passengers earlier.<\/p>\n
On Thursday Perumka began adding an extra car to most crowded
\ntrains to accommodate old people, women and children. The cars
\nwill be provided throughout the height of the traveling season.<\/p>\n
\"The extra car is marked by a large banner to make it easier
\nto find,\" Bambang said.<\/p>\n
The trains with these extra cars included the Gaya Baru Malam
\ntrain, heading to Surabaya, and the Empu Jaya heading to
\nYogyakarta.<\/p>\n
Bambang said nine people -- seven at Jatinegara station and
\ntwo at Senen station, had fainted while struggling to get into
\ntrains Thursday.<\/p>\n
\"One of them was taken to the Cipto Mangunkusumo Public
\nHospital because of slight injuries to his head,\" Bambang said.<\/p>\n
Heavy congestion since dusk was also reported along the 150-
\nkilometers of highway on the northern coast.<\/p>\n
Congestion on the route to Merak, West Java was lighter
\nyesterday even though around 71,000 people, traveling by public
\nbus and in private cars, had crowded the port since Thursday
\nevening. From Merak, ferries take passengers to Bakauheni, the
\nsouthernmost tip of Sumatra. (ste)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/exodus-peaks-as-idul-fitri-holidays-near-1447893297",
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