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)