Hundreds of Makassar Residents Travel Free to Surabaya by Sea for Eid Holiday
A free homecoming programme has become a significant draw for hundreds of residents hoping to celebrate Eid al-Fitr with their families in their home villages. Amongst the most popular options is free travel by ship.
Two hundred participants in the free homecoming programme will depart on Sunday (15 March) from Makassar Port bound for Surabaya aboard KM Labobar, a Pelni vessel heading to Tanjung Perak, Surabaya.
These hundreds of residents are beneficiaries of the Mudik Hepi 2026 programme, funded through donations of Telkomsel customer loyalty points.
Muharlis, Vice President of Consumer Business at Telkomsel for the Papua, Maluku, Sulawesi, and Kalimantan region (Pamasuka), symbolically sent off the homebound travellers on Thursday (12 March).
He explained that the programme represents the company’s concern for those economically unable to return home.
“We saw some who haven’t been home in six years, some in three years. So this free homecoming is intended to help them reunite with their families,” said Muharlis.
Masiah, one of the participants who has been in Makassar for six years, will travel to Kediri in East Java. She expressed joy and happiness at finally returning home with her husband, children, and grandchildren after such a long absence.
“I heard about this from a friend who is also from Java, and alhamdulillah Telkomsel has given us the opportunity to go home together with my husband, children, and grandchildren,” she said.
Mudik Hepi 2026 is a mutual cooperation movement based on Telkomsel Points, allowing customers to donate by exchanging every 500 points, equivalent to Rp5,000, through the MyTelkomsel application. The donation period ran from 18 February to 10 March 2026.
All accumulated donations are converted into bus and ship tickets, pocket money, and goodie bags for those in need. The programme is directly integrated with the national Mudik Bersama BUMN programme.
Nationally, Telkomsel is sending 1,100 people in the Mudik Hepi 2026 programme. The breakdown is 600 participants using ship routes and 500 using bus services.
For ship routes, Telkomsel is dispatching passengers from Balikpapan–Surabaya (14 March 2026, KM Dorolonda), Makassar–Surabaya (15 March 2026, KM Labobar), and Batam–Tanjung Priok (18 March 2026, KM Nggapulu).
For bus routes, 10 units are being prepared from Jakarta heading to Lampung, Palembang, Tasikmalaya, Semarang, Yogyakarta (via Solo), and Surabaya.
Donation distribution is conducted in partnership with the Kitabisa.com platform, whilst sea travel is fully supported by PELNI.
Previously, Pelindo Regional 4 predicted that during the 2026 Eid transport period, 882,620 people would travel through the main ports under Pelindo’s management, marking a 5% increase compared to last year’s realisation of 840,590 passengers.
General Ahmad Yani International Airport in Semarang will operate an Eid command post from Friday (13 March) to Monday (30 March), as passenger numbers during the homecoming period are expected to increase.
Tuban Police Department has held a preparedness briefing for security operations during Operation Ketupat 2026 to ensure safety and smooth celebrations for Eid al-Fitr 1447 H.
The Sigli–Banda Aceh toll road section has a total length of 74.2 kilometres and is one of the National Strategic Projects in Aceh Province.
Operation Ketupat Jaya 2026 in Metro Bekasi Police jurisdiction involves 1,238 combined personnel from police, military, local government, and related agencies.
Camera systems are increasingly being used in transport vehicles such as buses and trains, enabling operators to monitor activities from various angles in real-time.
Throughout Indonesia, Operation Ketupat 2026 will secure 185,607 facilities, including mosques, terminals, ports, and airports.
Operation Ketupat Lodaya 2026 aims to ensure the entire homecoming and Eid al-Fitr celebration period proceeds safely, comfortably, orderly, and smoothly.