Holiday exodus reaches its peak

Holiday exodus reaches its peak

JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of people anxious to travel home to
celebrate Idul Fitri are flocking to the city's major intercity
bus terminals and railway stations, two days before the Muslim
post-fasting celebrations begin.

Officials at terminals and railway stations told The Jakarta
Post on Thursday that the volume of seasonal travelers reached
its peak on Wednesday and Thursday, particularly in the evening.

They also estimated many people were set to leave the capital
by train and bus on Friday in a bid to reach their hometowns
before Idul Fitri, which according to the government and senior
Muslim scholars is to fall on Saturday.

Like in previous years, bus passengers, in particular, had to
face the unpleasant fact that many of the fares had been doubled
by the bus operators.

Those who complained to officials of the city's Land
Transportation Agency (DLLAJ) received no proper response. Some
of the Agency's officials, who are supposed to punish the bus
operators, ignored the complaints made by the public.

The authorities officially allowed all bus operators to
temporarily hike their fares by a maximum of 25 percent.

A passenger on a Mustika Sari bus paid Rp 70,000 (US$10) for a
trip to Pati in Central Jakarta. The official tariff, including
the sanctioned hike, is Rp 34,000.

A large crowd of would-be passengers could be seen at
Pulogadung and Kampung Rambutan bus terminals in East Jakarta and
at Gambir railway station in Central Jakarta.

Pulogadung terminal, which serves people heading for various
destination in Sumatra and Central and East Java, had seen a
total of some 26,000 travelers passing through on Wednesday.
Until 8 p.m. on Thursday, 11,000 holiday makers had departed from
the terminal.

The amount of people leaving from Kampung Rambutan terminal to
towns in West and Central Java reached 39,000 on Wednesday, and
until 8 p.m. on Thursday night, 22,000.

Officials at the two major bus terminals believed the numbers
would increase until midnight.

"We still expect more high volumes of passengers today,"
Pulogadung terminal official Sutardi said.

No stranded

He said the sea of people that were flooding the terminal
until late afternoon were not stranded, but rather waiting for
buses which would drive them to their hometowns.

"The amount of buses is actually adequate to carry all these
passengers, but the buses are arriving at the terminal between
two or three hours late due to heavy traffic congestion in
certain parts of Java's northern coastal road.

I hope all the passengers can be on their way by the evening,"
he added.

Antara has reported traffic congestion in certain areas in
West Java, such as in Pamanukan, Subang, and Indramayu since
Wednesday, mainly due to drivers' lack of discipline.

Operators at the railway stations in the capital have also
recorded a significant increase in travelers over the past two
days.

Spokesperson for the state-owned sole railway company, PT
Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI), Zainal Abidin, said on Thursday a
total of 66.391 travelers left the capital by train on Wednesday.

Until 2 p.m. on Thursday, the number had reached some 30,000
passengers, mostly those departing from Gambir and Pasar Senen
railway stations in Central Jakarta.

By comparison, the railway company reported 47,423 holiday
makers leaving on Tuesday.

But according to Zainal, this season's figure was slightly
lower than the previous Idul Fitri's peak of 85,418 travelers in
one day.

He suggested the relatively low number was probably due to the
long holiday period which started days before the traditional
exodus time.

"Vacation time started two weeks ago, so the travelers --
little by little -- left the city during the Christmas and New
Year's holidays," Zainal told reporters at Pasar Senen railway
station.

But still the many passengers had forced the railway company
to use some of its five reserve 10-car trains.

"At 11 p.m. on Wednesday, we had to dispatch two back-up
trains to accommodate passengers remaining at Pasar Senen station
who had failed to book seats," he said.

Zainal added the train operator would soon face a new problem
as it estimated returning Idul Fitri travelers will reach a peak
on the first day of Idul Fitri.

"Learning from past experience, people normally choose to come
back to Jakarta shortly after the Idul Fitri prayer. We estimate
the amount of passengers will be extra high as they will return
at the same time," he said.

Zainal said that the company is now planning its operation to
anticipate returning Idul Fitri travelers. (01/05)
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