Govt seeks fare hike for Idul Fitri buses

JAKARTA (JP): The government will propose a 35 percent increase in intercity bus fares for one week both before and after the Idul Fitri holiday to anticipate the traditional exodus from major urban centers.

The proposal is due to be submitted to the House of Representatives this week.

"We will submit the (proposed) fare increase this week. But usually the House approves a 25 percent increase, like it did last year," the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications' Director General of Land Transportation Susmono Soesilo said here on Tuesday.

He said the fare hike will be in effect for only one week both before and after Idul Fitri which is expected to fall on Dec. 27.

Major urban centers such as Jakarta are usually relatively deserted during the Idul Fitri holiday as millions return to their hometowns.

Ministry officials predict that some 18.6 million people will be traveling over the holiday period. Almost 60 percent are expected to use buses as their mode of transportation.

The bus fare hike during this period is meant to compensate for empty seats on the buses during the return journey from each destination.

Meanwhile, the Director of state-owned railroad company PT. Kereta Api (PTKA) Badar Zaenie said on Tuesday that the company may not provide discounts this year during the annual exodus period.

The discounts were designed to encourage people not to travel during the peak days closest to Idul Fitri.

"Usually we provide a 20 percent discount for those who travel 20 days before and after Idul Fitri. But people never leave for their hometowns during that time. They always prefer to travel just a few days before the holidays, so we will suggest eliminating the discount," Badar said.

"Maybe we will only give a 5 to 10 percent discount, starting one or two days before and after the holiday," he further said.

Susmono said that in order to anticipate the annual exodus, the ministry will be supported by 11,000 police officers to provide security along the three main exodus routes in Java and will distribute 400,000 free maps for travelers using private cars.

"We are also preparing heavy equipment to be placed at disaster-prone areas, just in case landslides or other natural disasters occur," Susmono, who is also head of the coordination team for the annual exodus, added.

The ministry is also preparing some 26,460 buses in 27 terminals spread across seven provinces -- all five provinces in Java, and Lampung and South Sumatra provinces.

An additional 1,882 buses will also be on standby should demand exceed capacity, while another nine bus terminals are also ready to be utilized if needed.

Some 238 trains are also being readied in 25 train stations in the seven provinces.

For sea transportation, the state-owned passenger line PT. Pelni has prepared 22 passenger and 15 cargo vessels along with 86 small ferries. Private companies are also expected to operate 470 ships to serve the 1,019,000 people traveling by sea.

The ministry is also coordinating with nine airline companies, including the state-owned Garuda Indonesia and Merpati Nusantara, to serve the approximately 382,000 passengers who will be traveling by air over the holiday period. (04/dja)