ASDP Urges Travellers to Purchase Ferry Tickets Through Official Channels; Action Taken Against Touts at Ports

PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry’s Chief Director Heru Widodo announced that he will take action against ticket touts operating at Merak and Ciwandan ports in Banten, whilst also urging passengers not to purchase tickets from intermediaries.

“We are once again appealing to the public to purchase tickets online independently and not through intermediaries,” said Heru at Merak Port on Monday, 16 March 2026.

Widodo emphasised that ASDP has operated an online ticketing system for six years and the public should be aware of it by now.

“We have been selling tickets online since 2020. This means the system has been running for six years. The public should already know that our tickets have been sold online for six years,” he said.

He stated that ASDP will collaborate with law enforcement authorities to address the problem of touts at ports.

“We are working with the police and law enforcement to take action against touts still operating in port areas,” he said.

Widodo also vowed to penalise any staff members engaged in tout activities, such as the ticket officer at Ciwandan Port who sold tickets at Rp 80,000 when the official online price was Rp 45,000.

“If any staff member tampers with tickets, we will investigate. There is absolutely no leniency for fraud or misconduct that causes harm. I have zero tolerance for this; all cases will be prosecuted. I guarantee that,” he said.

Earlier, an elderly man named Asrul, aged 72, claimed to have purchased a ferry ticket at nearly double the price at Ciwandan Port. Umar Imran Batubara, General Manager of ASDP’s Merak branch, stated that the incident occurred on Sunday evening, 15 March.

ASDP field personnel conducted clarification and investigation, confirming a price discrepancy in the transaction.

“The difference has been fully refunded to the service user, whilst the ticket remains valid for travel,” he said.

ASDP has also taken disciplinary action against the staff member involved in the incident.

“As a follow-up, the staff member involved has been suspended from service duties and the labour provider has been issued a formal warning letter,” he said.

“Subsequently, the individual concerned will be questioned further by the Ciwandan Port Control and Security Unit for investigation in accordance with applicable procedures,” he added.