30% Economy Train Discount Used by 1.30 Million Passengers During School Holidays

PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) served 1,303,191 passengers who utilised a 30% fare discount during the school holiday period from 20 June to 5 July 2026. During the same period, KAI continued to operate subsidised trains through the public service obligation (PSO) scheme, as well as business class, executive class, and other services. Overall, KAI served 3,451,031 passengers over the 16 days. Vice President Corporate Communication of KAI, Anne Purba, stated that the 30% discount provided a more affordable fare option, while PSO trains continued to serve the public’s travel needs. “A total of 1.30 million passengers utilised the 30% discount. In addition, KAI continued to operate PSO trains and other services to serve public mobility during the school holidays,” said Anne. Of KAI’s total passengers, 37.8% used the 30% discount, while 2,147,840 passengers, or 62.2%, used services outside the discount programme. The discount from the Government through the Directorate General of Railways at the Ministry of Transportation applied to designated Commercial Economy Trains, covering 150 regular journeys and 26 additional journeys. Compared to the 2025 school holiday period, the number of discount recipients increased by 11.04%, from 1,173,612 to 1,303,191 passengers. Thus, there was an additional 129,579 passengers who benefited from the discount in 2026. Overall, KAI’s total passenger numbers also increased by 3.75%, from 3,326,281 passengers in 2025 to 3,451,031 passengers in 2026. Meanwhile, the number of passengers outside the discount programme remained relatively stable, from 2,152,669 to 2,147,840 passengers. “The increase in passengers during the school holiday period was mainly seen in the discount recipient group. This programme helps the public plan trips at a lower cost,” said Anne. The Joglosemarkerto train was the service with the most discount recipients, at 67,556 passengers. This was followed by the Ambarawa Ekspres with 67,298 passengers, Kaligung with 55,256 passengers, Pangrango with 49,085 passengers, and Kamandaka with 48,921 passengers. These services connect several cities in Central Java, the Special Region of Yogyakarta, West Java, and Jakarta. “Discount users mostly travelled on Joglosemarkerto, Ambarawa Ekspres, Kaligung, Pangrango, and Kamandaka. Their journeys support tourism, family visits, and intercity mobility,” Anne explained. Based on data from discount passengers, Pasar Senen Station recorded the highest number of departures with 136,136 passengers. This was followed by Yogyakarta Station with 87,836 passengers, Semarang Poncol with 69,952 passengers, Semarang Tawang with 64,491 passengers, and Surabaya Pasarturi with 51,887 passengers. For destination stations, Pasar Senen also ranked highest with 127,571 passengers, followed by Yogyakarta with 89,801 passengers, Semarang Poncol with 67,161 passengers, Semarang Tawang with 63,695 passengers, and Surabaya Pasarturi with 54,567 passengers. The route with the most discount recipients was Lempuyangan–Pasar Senen with 17,726 passengers, followed by Pasar Senen–Lempuyangan with 16,913 passengers, Surabaya Gubeng–Yogyakarta with 16,029 passengers, Solo Balapan–Semarang Tawang with 15,398 passengers, and Semarang Tawang–Solo Balapan with 15,383 passengers. The data shows that discount passenger journeys were largely directed towards Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Semarang, Solo, and Surabaya. Looking at all KAI services, the peak travel day occurred on Sunday, 5 July 2026, with a total of 254,939 passengers. This comprised 94,977 discount passengers and 159,962 passengers using other services. The realisation of discount passengers reached 110.95% compared to the programme’s cumulative capacity of 1,174,624 passengers. This percentage compares the total number of discount passengers to the programme’s capacity over the entire implementation period. “Thank you to the Government through the Directorate General of Railways at the Ministry of Transportation, all officers, and the public who supported this programme. The travel data serves as evaluation material to prepare services for the next holiday period,” Anne concluded.