121,000 passengers leave Jakarta as peak approaches

JAKARTA (JP): With the Idul Fitri exodus approaching its expected peak on Tuesday, the number of passengers leaving the city on buses and trains reached an estimated 121,000 yesterday.

Data from the national Idul Fitri post, as at 8 p.m., revealed that 66,000 travelers left on 725 buses, departing from the city's main bus terminals: Kampung Rambutan and Pulogadung in East Jakarta, Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta and Kalideres in West Jakarta.

Another 21,000 people left from 15 smaller terminals on 202 buses, according to the data.

By 7 p.m., some 27,000 people had departed from the city's six railway stations: Senen, Tanah Abang, Gambir, Kota, Manggarai and Jatinegara. Almost half of them boarded trains at Senen, where the most economy tickets were available.

As of yesterday, the government's requirement that a 25 percent charge be added to tickets was applied, even though certain bus companies still violated the ruling by setting their own prices despite calls not to do so, an official, Surono, said.

The head of Lebak Bulus terminal, Yusran Tanjung, said that so far only one summons had been issued for errant behavior by bus companies.

The head of City Land Transportation Agency (DLLAJ), J.P. Sepang, said earlier that the heaviest punishment for offenders who repeatedly raised fares by more than 100 percent would be the cancellation of their operating permits.

Roads to bus terminals and railway stations were heavily congested yesterday, with the peak of the exodus expected on Tuesday, three days before Idul Fitri.

About 3.5 million people will travel out of the city for the Idul Fitri holiday, according to the directorate general of land transportation.

Dozens of passengers fainted yesterday at Senen railway station and were rushed to health centers.

In the afternoon, one woman said that she and her family had been waiting since before sunrise for their train to Cepu, East Java. The station officials said ticket booths opened at 7:30 a.m.

"I arrived before sahur (the Ramadhan predawn breakfast) and waited in front of the ticket booth until noon. I started to feel dizzy and my children started crying," Halimah said. Many of the passengers said they ate their predawn meal in front of the booth.

Muhadi, another train passenger, said he was not able to get a 70 percent discounted ticket from the state-owned railway company Perumka on Wednesday, thereby forcing him to buy the ticket at the official rate yesterday.

Pulogadung bus terminal has provided 1,200 buses to transport up to 50,000 people a day for the holiday.

All train tickets were said to have been sold out at Gambir yesterday, but scalpers still offered tickets to Solo on Jan 27. and Jan. 28, and return tickets on Feb. 5, Feb. 8 and Feb. 9, for Rp 180,000, far higher than the normal rate of only Rp 100,000.

People traveling by public buses, trains and private cars also crowded the route to Merak, West Java, where ferries would take them to Bakauheni, the southern tip of Sumatra. (edt)

Map -- Page 2

Photo -- Page 3

Editorial -- Page 4