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)