Exodus peaks as Idul Fitri holidays near
Exodus peaks as Idul Fitri holidays near
JAKARTA (JP): Yesterday's wave of departures saw the biggest
crowds at the Pulo Gadung bus terminal and the Senen train
station.
Around 70,000 people left from the Pulo Gadung bus terminal
alone yesterday, the highest number so far from one terminal.
Areas around the terminal were heavily congested.
Bus operators closed ticket booths and sold tickets aboard
buses, making competition for seats fierce.
As soon as they spotted a bus, passengers, including women and
children, fought one another for seats.
Prospective passengers, dragging their belongings, joined
crowds waiting for buses at the terminal entrance.
"If I wait until the bus enters the terminal, I will miss it,"
said Karyani, a housemaid heading for Purwokerto, Central Java,
while she struggled to carry her heavy luggage.
Marzuki, a Pulo Gadung terminal official, said several
passengers had been waiting since dusk the day before.
From 8 a.m. Thursday to 8 a.m. yesterday, 49,076 people left
Pulo Gadung. By 2 p.m. yesterday, there had been 12,653
passengers.
"Usually, the number of passengers will increase in the
afternoon," said Abdul Hakim, head of the terminal.
Yesterday's explosion of travelers led terminals to call for
extra buses. In Pulo Gadung, 11 extra buses began operating, and
32 in Kampung Rambutan, East Jakarta.
The city land transportation control agency allotted 1,085
extra buses to Pulo Gadung and 350 to Kampung Rambutan terminal.
Other main terminals, Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta and
Kalideres in West Jakarta were not too crowded, with several
buses waiting for passengers.
In Lebak Bulus, scalpers raised fares far above permitted
increases. One was asking Rp 48,000 for an economy class bus
heading to Purworejo, Central Java, the normal fare is Rp 35,000.
The city's nine main terminals and 15 additional terminals
recorded that 149,818 people left on 3,407 buses Thursday.
From 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. yesterday, 45,358 people left the city
on 972 buses from Pulo Gadung.
By 1 p.m. yesterday 28,823 people had departed from the six
stations. On Thursday by 11 p.m., 71,308 had departed from train
stations, 26,000 from Senen alone.
Spokesperson for the state railway company Perumka, Bambang
Walujodjati, estimated the number of passengers would have peaked
late yesterday evening. "Most people prefer to travel at night,"
Bambang said.
"The prediction is based on the assumption that most people
expect to arrive in their hometowns today (Saturday), a day
before Idul Fitri, to prepare and rest before the Idul Fitri
celebration Sunday," Bambang said.
Perumka, he said, has prepared 11 extra trains to accommodate
passengers. Other officials said the peak would continue until
today, given the less than expected number of passengers earlier.
On Thursday Perumka began adding an extra car to most crowded
trains to accommodate old people, women and children. The cars
will be provided throughout the height of the traveling season.
"The extra car is marked by a large banner to make it easier
to find," Bambang said.
The trains with these extra cars included the Gaya Baru Malam
train, heading to Surabaya, and the Empu Jaya heading to
Yogyakarta.
Bambang said nine people -- seven at Jatinegara station and
two at Senen station, had fainted while struggling to get into
trains Thursday.
"One of them was taken to the Cipto Mangunkusumo Public
Hospital because of slight injuries to his head," Bambang said.
Heavy congestion since dusk was also reported along the 150-
kilometers of highway on the northern coast.
Congestion on the route to Merak, West Java was lighter
yesterday even though around 71,000 people, traveling by public
bus and in private cars, had crowded the port since Thursday
evening. From Merak, ferries take passengers to Bakauheni, the
southernmost tip of Sumatra. (ste)