DPR Deputy Speaker Dispatches 250 Free Eid Mudik Buses to West Sumatra
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Chairman of Commission VI of the DPR RI, Andre Rosiade, dispatched 250 buses at the parliament complex in Jakarta on Sunday for the free Eid homecoming transport in 2026 under the banner ‘Pulang Basamo’, carrying around 12,000 homebound travellers from Jakarta to various parts of West Sumatra (Sumbar).
He explained that the programme is part of President Prabowo Subianto’s commitment to helping the Minang migrant community to return home and reunite with their families during Eid al-Fitr. According to him, the initiative has entered its fourth year.
“This event is indeed in its fourth year. In the first year 75 buses, the second 200 buses, the third 250 buses, and this year, Alhamdulillah, still 250 buses,” said Andre.
In addition to free transport, he said, the mudik travellers will also receive meals during the journey. The bus convoys will be escorted by the police until they arrive in West Sumatra.
“From departure to arrival in West Sumatra, it will be directly escorted by the West Sumatra Regional Police (Polda Sumatera Barat),” he said.
In the programme, he noted, there are two main rest stops for the mudik travellers, namely in front of the West Sumatra Grand Mosque in Padang and at Kantin Square in Bukittinggi. Nevertheless, the travellers are allowed to alight at other locations along the route.
“The purpose of going to West Sumatra, there are two rest stops. The first is in Padang in front of the West Sumatra Grand Mosque, the second in front of Kantin Square in Bukittinggi,” he said.
Of the total 250 buses prepared, he said around 100 buses were dispatched earlier, while the remaining 150 buses are scheduled to depart on 15 March 2026. He said the first departure participants were mainly students, while the next waves were dominated by workers.
According to him, the mudik programme also helps the economy of West Sumatra because the returning migrants will bring money and shop in their home region.
“West Sumatra’s economic growth is only 3 percent, inflation 6 percent. All this time the economy has been helped because Minang migrants always remit around Rp20 trillion per year,” he said.