Discounted fares for early birds

Discounted fares for early birds

JAKARTA (JP): Travel early, pay less. That's the message from the government to people planning to spend their Idul Fitri holidays in their home villages.

Perum Perumka, the state-owned railway company, is offering up to 15 percent off all fares for those who travel 10 to seven days before Idul Fitri, which is scheduled to fall on Feb. 20.

Bambang S. Ervan, the spokesman for the Ministry of Transportation which oversees the railway company, said the move was taken in the hope that people will take up the offer and ease the rush of homeward bound revelers at railway stations normally seen in the week before Idul Fitri.

In past years, as many a third of Jakarta's population of 12 million people spent their Idul Fitri holidays in their home villages. Apart from railway stations, bus terminals and airports will also be jammed.

Perum Perumka also plans to put more cars on its trains to cope with the surge in the number of travelers in the week immediately before and after Idul Fitri, Bambang said.

Minister of Transportation Haryanto Dhanutirto last week presided over a meeting to discuss the transport arrangements during the Idul Fitri holiday.

Bambang said that the minister underlined the need to pay greater attention to safety and the comfort of passengers, because rain is likely to increase the risk of accidents.

The ministry is also planning to set up 20 emergency bus terminals in Jakarta to avoid the snarl-ups normally seen at the capital's four main bus terminals at this time, he said.

The four inter-city terminals in Jakarta are located in Pulogadung, Kampung Rambutan, Kalideres and Lebak Bulus.

The government has also ordered state carriers Garuda Indonesia and Merpati Nusantara to lay on extra domestic and overseas flights next month, to cope with the surge of travelers during Idul Fitri, and also the Chinese New Year on Feb. 18, Bambang said. (31)