Holiday Travellers Scramble for Buses as Purabaya Terminal Denies Shortage of Eid Vehicles

Purabaya Terminal in Bungurasih, Sidoarjo, has denied a shortage of buses that led to holiday travellers scrambling to board. This responds to an incident on Wednesday night (18 March), when passengers competed for buses, especially those heading to Kediri, Tulungagung, and Trenggalek. Public relations officer for Purabaya Terminal, Sarah Abigail, stated that such bus scrambles are common during Eid travel periods. Similar crowding occurs every weekend in normal months. “Actually, if passengers are standing, it’s for certain destinations. From what we’ve observed, it’s not just during Eid, but on regular weekend moments too,” Sarah said on Wednesday. Sarah also refuted claims that the density and bus scrambles stem from a shortage of vehicles at Purabaya Terminal. “It’s not because there are no vehicles, but perhaps passengers just want to board quickly. That’s usually for destinations like Blitar and Kediri,” she explained. Observations by CNNIndonesia.com on Wednesday night showed several passengers crowding and competing for seats while buses were still in the parking area. This condition forced some waiting passengers in the departure corridor to stand due to limited seating. “No choice, I have to board anyway. If not, it’ll get later. Everyone’s in the same situation,” said Dedy, a traveller heading to Kediri. According to Dedy, travellers including himself were competing for PO Bus Bagong and Harapan Jaya services. This triggered the crowding. “Those alighting at Mengkreng also take Bagong and Harapan Jaya because they go via toll roads. So it gets fuller. Even though there are Restu and others,” he added. Previously, the volume of Eid al-Fitr 2026 holiday travellers at Purabaya Terminal, Bungurasih, Sidoarjo, peaked on Tuesday (17 March). It was predicted that 45,000 passengers would arrive or depart from East Java’s largest terminal. Sarah stated that the increase in passengers has been monitored since the Eid Transport Post opened on 13 March 2026. Based on cumulative data, at least 200,000 holiday travellers have been recorded arriving and departing at Purabaya Terminal. This number could still increase. “Up to today, it’s likely still around 200,000 passengers. Starting from yesterday, 13 March 2026,” Sarah said when met by CNNIndonesia.com on Tuesday (17 March). Field observations showed that short and medium routes dominated departures today. Passengers heading to cities in southern East Java and routes to Central Java were the most sought after. “Destinations like Kediri, Tulungagung, Ponorogo, and also Malang are busy today. Plus AKAP to Semarang,” she said. Regarding vehicle readiness, thousands of bus units have been prepared to serve passengers 24 hours a day. The terminal also ensures all operating buses undergo routine roadworthiness checks daily to guarantee passenger safety. “For the fleet, our preparation here includes around 2,200 operational vehicles. Including AKAP and AKDP. We’ve coordinated with bus companies for reserve vehicles to anticipate passenger surges,” she said. “For roadworthiness tests, we conduct them every day. Daily checks on vehicle eligibility following administration, main technical functions, supporting technical aspects. If any don’t meet standards, we issue warnings or fines,” she added. To handle the surge and maintain comfort, the terminal management has carried out a series of infrastructure improvements, including bus lane repairs and pedestrian facilities, to anticipate extreme weather. “We’ve also improved pedestrian paths in the drop-off area. The drop-off area to anticipate this rainy season. To prevent puddles that could disrupt comfort for passengers alighting from private vehicles in the drop-off area,” she concluded.