7,000 buses made available for Idul Fitri exodus

7,000 buses made available for Idul Fitri exodus

JAKARTA (JP): The City Land Transportation Agency will deploy over 7,000 buses in a 16-day operation called Angkutan Lebaran 1995 in anticipation of the annual Idul Fitri exodus.

J.P. Sepang, the head of the agency, told reporters yesterday that the operation, which will begin on Feb. 24 and last through March 11, is primarily aimed at providing public transportation for people who intend to celebrate Idul Fitri in their hometowns.

"This effort is taken to anticipate the explosion in the number of public transportation passengers. Based on experiences from previous years, this year the number is estimated to be 10 percent higher than last year's," Sepang said.

He was speaking after a coordination meeting with the city police force and the Jakarta office of the national agency for stability and security (Bakorstanasda) and other city agencies.

Sepang said that in 1993 1.12 million people left Jakarta using public transportation vehicles at Idul Fitri. The number reached 1.49 million people in 1994. This year the agency predicts the number of home bound travelers will reach 1.57 million.

"Two days before Idul Fitri will be the peak of the exodus," he said, predicting that a total of 158,301 people will leave the city on that day alone.

Sepang added that during the operation, his agency will deploy 6,462 regular buses and 1,050 additional buses.

He also said private companies, as well as the state-owned bus companies, will deploy their fleets as supplemental buses. The state-owned bus company PPD will operate 250 additional buses, while DAMRI will supply 75 buses. Private companies, such as Mayasari Bakti, will operate 300 buses, Arion 25, Bianglala 50, Mass Trans 25, Himpurna 25, Metro Mini 200 and Kopaja 100 buses.

"The buses are going to be used to transport passengers who intend to go to West Java and Central Java," Sepang said.

He said that ticket counters at bus terminals will be closed five days before Idul Fitri.

Sepang also said that the agency has decided to set up 16 temporary bus terminals in each mayoralty.

"Currently, there are four inter-city bus terminals in Jakarta: Pulogadung, Kampung Rambutan, Kalideres and Lebak Bulus.

"This is not enough, therefore we will set up temporary terminals," Sepang said.

He said during the operation, bus companies will not be allowed to increase ticket fares or lease their fleets for tours.

The agency will allow the buses to operate beyond the stipulations in their route permits and to transport up to an additional 10 percent of passengers, based on the capacity of the bus.

The meeting also decided to limit the number of container and trailer trucks traveling in certain areas during the operation.

"Four days before and one day after Idul Fitri, container and trailer trucks are not allowed to operate," Sepang said. "Traffic routes along the northern coast of Java will be used only for public transportation vehicles, while the southern coast route is for private cars and containers."

He added that the decision was made to avoid traffic jams along the northern coastal routes.

Sepang said agencies such as the city police, the city sanitation office and the city public order office will also help with the operation.

The city sanitation office will provide mobile toilets, while the city public order office is responsible for controlling the activities of illegal vendors at bus terminals. (yns)