Passengers flock to bus terminals, railway stations<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): All of the city's major bus terminals and
\nrailway stations were inundated on Sunday by thousands of people
\nanxious to travel home to celebrate the Idul Fitri holiday.<\/p>\n
A large crowd of would-be passengers could be seen at East
\nJakarta's Pulogadung bus terminal, where nearly 32,000 people
\nwere forced to stay overnight on Saturday due to a shortage of
\nbuses.<\/p>\n
Only 6,831 of the 32,000 people forced to sleep at the
\nterminal managed to catch buses on Sunday, Sutardi, a bus
\nterminal official, said.<\/p>\n
He said that large numbers of people had been stranded at the
\nterminal because of the late arrival of buses from other cities.
\n\"They were trapped in traffic jams along north coastal roads,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Many buses were full upon their arrival at the terminal,
\nhaving stopped to pick up passengers en route, including in
\nBekasi to the east of here.<\/p>\n
\"I waited here all day long only to find that all the buses
\narriving were full of passengers. Why have the officials here not
\narranged a bus schedule?\" asked Sari, one of many people left
\ndisappointed by the shambolic organization.<\/p>\n
Since Saturday, waiting crowds have surged to the terminal
\nentrance at every sighting of a bus in a desperate attempt to be
\namong the lucky few allowed to board. One bus even had a window
\nbroken by people seeking a quicker route to board.<\/p>\n
Frequent appeals for patience broadcast over loud speakers at
\nthe terminal went unheeded.<\/p>\n
One passenger expressed his frustration at the annual chaos
\nwhich descends in the run up to Idul Fitri. \"I think the
\nauthorities should know by now. They have had enough experience
\nof handling the yearly exodus and they should know where things
\nare likely to go wrong, so why has there been no improvement in
\nthe organization,\" said Ahmad after waiting six hours for a bus
\nto Surabaya in East Java.<\/p>\n
On Saturday alone, 31 extra buses were drafted in to help the
\n628 scheduled buses transport people stranded at the terminal. On
\nSaturday, 32,281 passengers left Jakarta through the terminal.<\/p>\n
\"The exodus has still not peaked. Perhaps tonight,\" terminal
\nofficial Agus S. warned on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The number of people traveling by bus ahead of this year's
\nIdul Fitri holiday has reportedly dropped substantially from last
\nyear.<\/p>\n
Agus said the number of passengers who left the city between
\nTuesday and Saturday had dropped to 136,056 this year, from
\n221,376 in 1998, an overall decline of 61.46 percent.<\/p>\n
\"I think that the crisis has left many people unable to afford
\nthe bus fare home,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Idul Fitri passengers leaving the city by train were believed
\nto have reached a peak on Saturday, when around 85,000 people
\ndeparted from Gambir railway station in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
State Railway Company (Perumka) spokesman Halmi Azis was
\nquoted by Antara as saying that as of 6 p.m. on Saturday night,
\n62,648 people had departed for West, Central and East Java by
\ntrain.<\/p>\n
By comparison, the number of train passengers on the
\ncorresponding day last year reached only 61,349, Halmi added.<\/p>\n
He said that passengers bound for destinations in Java had so
\nfar increased by 24 percent this year to an estimated 127,806.
\nLast year's corresponding figure over the whole festive period
\nwas 102,416.<\/p>\n
He attributed the increase to people using executive-class
\ntrains in preference to flying, which is considerably more
\nexpensive.<\/p>\n
Desvita, who manages an advertising company, said that she and
\nher family were taking an executive-class train to Yogyakarta
\nthis year to save money.<\/p>\n
\"The economic crisis has hit the advertising business hard, so
\nwe have decided to take the Argo Lawu train home instead of
\nflying,\" she said. (ivy\/jun\/ind)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/passengers-flock-to-bus-terminals-railway-stations-1447893297",
"image": ""
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