Bogor Residents Save 2 Million Rupiah through Free Mudik Programme to Return Home for Eid
BOGOR — Residents of Bogor who participate in the free mudik programme can save millions of rupiah on travel costs to return home to their hometowns.
Free mudik participant Dedi, aged 53, has saved approximately 2 million rupiah for a return trip from Bogor to Pekalongan. This cost covered travel for himself and four family members.
The free mudik programme helps lower-middle-income households afford to reunite with family in their hometowns. “Thank goodness this programme can assist ordinary people, particularly those from lower-middle-income backgrounds, to undertake free mudik. With this free mudik initiative, we can hopefully meet with relatives there,” Dedi explained.
Similarly, resident Ismet, aged 42, has saved 2.5 million rupiah on a return trip from Bogor to Cirebon for five family members, compared to the standard ticket price of 250,000 rupiah per person.
“In total, if we calculate just the Bogor-Cirebon route, the cost is 250,000 rupiah per person,” Ismet told Kompas.com on Monday.
The free mudik programme assists migrants based in Bogor to return home. Ismet initially competed for the quota in Bogor Regency but was unsuccessful. He eventually obtained tickets through information posted on the Bogor City Police account.
“We initially searched for information on Instagram and other social media platforms. It happened that the Bogor City Police posted the information on Instagram,” Ismet noted, adding that he failed to secure tickets in Bogor Regency but succeeded in obtaining them in Bogor City.
Unlike Ismet, Dedi, participating in the programme for the first time, obtained his free mudik tickets without difficulty in Bogor City. “Thank goodness everything went smoothly. I also didn’t know how it would turn out, but alhamdulillah, perhaps it was our fortune. The information was available on mobile phones anyway,” he explained.
The mudik occasion will be used to gather with the extended family to celebrate Eid al-Fitr. “This gathering opportunity happens perhaps only once a year. For children, during school holidays, they can be reunited with their parents and grandparents,” Dedi said.