Holiday transport being prepared

Holiday transport being prepared

JAKARTA (JP): The government assured yesterday that Christmas
and New Year holidayers would have enough transportation means to
make their journeys more enjoyable than last year.

Spokesman for the Ministry of Transportation Salam Susanto
said yesterday that the government is ready to provide extra
land, sea and air transportation means for the holidays.

"All government travel operators in the field are ready," he
told journalists.

Additional buses, trains, and ferries will be operated from
Dec. 18 through Jan. 11. Special sea transport services will be
available from Dec. 10 through Jan. 20 and air transport from
Dec. 18 through Jan. 11.

Salam said the state railway company, Perumka, would operate
more trains, which could carry a total of 10,800 passengers,
during the holiday season.

He said that to improve services, the government would open
more ticket counters in all bus and train stations, as well as at
seaports. The authorities are determined to keep scalpers from
preying on travelers.

"Besides, transportation officials will provide information
and health services to travelers," he said.

In addition to the thousands of buses operated by private
companies, the state-owned land transportation firms, Perum Damri
and PPD, will mobilize a total of 400 buses, with another 30
reserve buses, to ply routes in Java and Sumatra.

The state-run shipping company, PT Pelni, is ready to operate
15 ships, which can carry 26,400 passengers, during the holiday
season, Salam said.

They will operate along with another 10 privately-owned
ferries which can move 7,800 people, he said.

Merpati Nusantara, a subsidiary of Garuda Indonesia plans to
increase the frequency of flights on its six most busy routes in
Sumatra, Java and Bali, with a total of 2,980 seats.

Garuda will have 74 additional domestic flights, with 12,360
seats, to seven cities from Dec. 21 through Jan. 3, Salam said.
(pan)