Holiday exodus reaches its peak<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of people anxious to travel home to
\ncelebrate Idul Fitri are flocking to the city's major intercity
\nbus terminals and railway stations, two days before the Muslim
\npost-fasting celebrations begin.<\/p>\n
Officials at terminals and railway stations told The Jakarta
\nPost on Thursday that the volume of seasonal travelers reached
\nits peak on Wednesday and Thursday, particularly in the evening.<\/p>\n
They also estimated many people were set to leave the capital
\nby train and bus on Friday in a bid to reach their hometowns
\nbefore Idul Fitri, which according to the government and senior
\nMuslim scholars is to fall on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Like in previous years, bus passengers, in particular, had to
\nface the unpleasant fact that many of the fares had been doubled
\nby the bus operators.<\/p>\n
Those who complained to officials of the city's Land
\nTransportation Agency (DLLAJ) received no proper response. Some
\nof the Agency's officials, who are supposed to punish the bus
\noperators, ignored the complaints made by the public.<\/p>\n
The authorities officially allowed all bus operators to
\ntemporarily hike their fares by a maximum of 25 percent.<\/p>\n
A passenger on a Mustika Sari bus paid Rp 70,000 (US$10) for a
\ntrip to Pati in Central Jakarta. The official tariff, including
\nthe sanctioned hike, is Rp 34,000.<\/p>\n
A large crowd of would-be passengers could be seen at
\nPulogadung and Kampung Rambutan bus terminals in East Jakarta and
\nat Gambir railway station in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Pulogadung terminal, which serves people heading for various
\ndestination in Sumatra and Central and East Java, had seen a
\ntotal of some 26,000 travelers passing through on Wednesday.
\nUntil 8 p.m. on Thursday, 11,000 holiday makers had departed from
\nthe terminal.<\/p>\n
The amount of people leaving from Kampung Rambutan terminal to
\ntowns in West and Central Java reached 39,000 on Wednesday, and
\nuntil 8 p.m. on Thursday night, 22,000.<\/p>\n
Officials at the two major bus terminals believed the numbers
\nwould increase until midnight.<\/p>\n
"We still expect more high volumes of passengers today,"
\nPulogadung terminal official Sutardi said.<\/p>\n
No stranded<\/p>\n
He said the sea of people that were flooding the terminal
\nuntil late afternoon were not stranded, but rather waiting for
\nbuses which would drive them to their hometowns.<\/p>\n
"The amount of buses is actually adequate to carry all these
\npassengers, but the buses are arriving at the terminal between
\ntwo or three hours late due to heavy traffic congestion in
\ncertain parts of Java's northern coastal road.<\/p>\n
I hope all the passengers can be on their way by the evening,"
\nhe added.<\/p>\n
Antara has reported traffic congestion in certain areas in
\nWest Java, such as in Pamanukan, Subang, and Indramayu since
\nWednesday, mainly due to drivers' lack of discipline.<\/p>\n
Operators at the railway stations in the capital have also
\nrecorded a significant increase in travelers over the past two
\ndays.<\/p>\n
Spokesperson for the state-owned sole railway company, PT
\nKereta Api Indonesia (KAI), Zainal Abidin, said on Thursday a
\ntotal of 66.391 travelers left the capital by train on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Until 2 p.m. on Thursday, the number had reached some 30,000
\npassengers, mostly those departing from Gambir and Pasar Senen
\nrailway stations in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
By comparison, the railway company reported 47,423 holiday
\nmakers leaving on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
But according to Zainal, this season's figure was slightly
\nlower than the previous Idul Fitri's peak of 85,418 travelers in
\none day.<\/p>\n
He suggested the relatively low number was probably due to the
\nlong holiday period which started days before the traditional
\nexodus time.<\/p>\n
"Vacation time started two weeks ago, so the travelers --
\nlittle by little -- left the city during the Christmas and New
\nYear's holidays," Zainal told reporters at Pasar Senen railway
\nstation.<\/p>\n
But still the many passengers had forced the railway company
\nto use some of its five reserve 10-car trains.<\/p>\n
"At 11 p.m. on Wednesday, we had to dispatch two back-up
\ntrains to accommodate passengers remaining at Pasar Senen station
\nwho had failed to book seats," he said.<\/p>\n
Zainal added the train operator would soon face a new problem
\nas it estimated returning Idul Fitri travelers will reach a peak
\non the first day of Idul Fitri.<\/p>\n
"Learning from past experience, people normally choose to come
\nback to Jakarta shortly after the Idul Fitri prayer. We estimate
\nthe amount of passengers will be extra high as they will return
\nat the same time," he said.<\/p>\n
Zainal said that the company is now planning its operation to
\nanticipate returning Idul Fitri travelers. (01\/05)
\nSun shines -- Page 6<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/holiday-exodus-reaches-its-peak-1447893297",
"image": ""
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