2026 Free Homecoming Programme by SOEs to provide 2,756 free ferry tickets

The Free Homecoming Programme by State-Owned Enterprises for Lebaran 2026 provides a total of 2,756 free ferry tickets for the public across various regions. The programme involves several SOEs with routes and departure schedules already set. Tri Andayani, President Director of PT Pelayaran Nasional Indonesia (Persero) or PELNI, revealed that the company receives economic stimulus support from the government in the form of subsidies for sea transport ticket discounts during the Lebaran period. He said the total budget allocated by the government to PELNI amounts to Rp 42 billion. The figure is equivalent to about 445,000 passenger tickets receiving a discount. “From the economic stimulus — the overall programme provided by the government to each transport operator — PELNI receives an allocation of Rp 42 billion, equivalent to around 445,000 tickets,” said Andayani in Jakarta on Wednesday, 4 March 2026. “As of today, 135,187 tickets have been sold, and the government subsidy of Rp 42 billion allocated for ticket discounts has had around Rp 13 billion absorbed,” he explained. When asked whether the budget was earmarked solely for passengers, Tri stressed that the entire allocation is indeed intended for passengers. “That is for passengers only,” he asserted. In addition, the Dorolonda on the Balikpapan–Surabaya route on 14 March offers 400 tickets, the Kelimutu on the Kumai–Semarang route on 15 March offers 400 tickets, and the Ciremai on the Jayapura–Biak route on 16 March offers 50 tickets. Besides PELNI, several other SOEs are also providing free sea-homecoming transport. PT PLN (Persero) also provides 1,050 free tickets, comprising 550 on the Dorolonda on the Balikpapan–Surabaya route on 14 March 2026, 350 on the Labobar on the Makassar–Surabaya route on 15 March 2026, and 150 on the Lambelu on the Makassar–Baubau route on 19 March 2026. Persero Batam channels 250 free tickets via the Kelud on the Batam–Belawan route on 16 March 2026. Meanwhile, Pegadaian provides 256 free tickets, distributed as 153 on the Bukit Siguntang on the Balikpapan–Makassar route on 17 March 2026, and 103 on the Dorolonda on the Balikpapan–Surabaya route on 17 March 2026. In addition to the free homecoming programme, the government is also offering a 30 percent discount on PELNI ship tickets from the base fare for the Lebaran transport period, 11 March to 5 April 2026. “Last year the discount was 20 percent and only on certain routes. This Lebaran, the government has increased it to 30 percent and it applies to all routes or vessel corridors of our ships,” he said. The discount applies to economy class tickets across all passenger ship routes, not including insurance and port entry charges. The discount programme is funded with an allocation of Rp 42.3 billion, with projected passenger numbers reaching 445,534.