High Demand During Mudik Season Drives Growth of Illegal Transport Services
JAKARTA — The surge in population mobility during the Lebaran mudik season is frequently accompanied by increased demand for transportation services. This condition is considered one of the factors driving the proliferation of illegal transport services or unlicensed passenger vehicles.
Transport observer from the Indonesian Transportation Society, Djoko Setijowarno, stated that high transportation demand during mudik indeed creates opportunities for the emergence of unofficial transport services.
According to him, the surge in the number of mudik travellers is often not fully matched by the availability of official, flexible, and easily accessible transportation services.
He believes that the existence of bus terminals or pools can actually be utilised as alternative departure points provided they do not disrupt road traffic.
“Bus pools could actually serve as departure points, provided buses do not disrupt traffic. However, they must still be supervised by the nearest terminal manager so that vehicles departing and arriving remain properly recorded,” said Djoko to Kompas.com on Sunday (8 March 2026).
With such a supervision system, Djoko believes transportation services can become closer to the public whilst remaining under government oversight.
He added that in several regions there are already point-to-point transportation services operating, where passengers are taken directly to their final destination.
Such services are considered quite popular with the public because they are more convenient than transportation that requires passengers to change modes.
“The service is close to the community, with many departure points. Some even reach Madura. The vehicles are fairly large and the fares are the same as buses,” said Djoko.
According to Djoko, without clear supervision and regulation, the high demand for transportation during mudik potentially creates opportunities for those operating illegal transport services.
Therefore, in addition to strengthening supervision, the government also needs to strengthen the availability of official transportation services so that the public has safe alternatives when travelling during mudik season.