Idul Fitri exodus hits its peak

Idul Fitri exodus hits its peak

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The annual Idul Fitri exodus reached its peak on Friday as the
number of people departing from bus terminals and railway
stations for their respective hometowns increased sharply.

Kampung Rambutan bus station in Jakarta recorded around 26,942
passengers traveling on 729 buses destined for West Java on
Thursday, Endi Lastion, the bus terminal chief, told The Jakarta
Post.

The bus terminal was overflowing with would-be travelers
leaving them vulnerable targets for exploitation by bus
companies, which included the practice of exorbitant ticket price
increases.

Based on field monitoring, the City's Land Transportation
Agency (DLLAJ) has taken stern action against two bus companies,
namely PO Pratama and PO Handoyo, for sharply surpassing the
regulated ticket increase at 12 percent, he said.

The number of travelers also rose sharply on Friday at Senen
railway station, where about 27,000 travelers departed as of
Friday evening.

Gambir railway station was packed with would-be passengers on
Friday. Many people were stranded for hours as many trains
serving routes to Central and East Java arrived and departed
late.

From Bogor Antara reported that due to traffic congestion, the
road through Puncak was closed to trucks and buses from 2 p.m. on
Friday. All buses and trucks were forced to take the Bogor to
Sukabumi road.

In Bakauheni, southern Lampung, the number of passengers
ferried across the Sunda straits from Merak peaked on Friday with
51,140 passengers, a decline from 72,000 last year.

Dian, an employee from the Indonesian Consumer Foundation
(YLKI), which monitored the exodus, said that the rampant
irregularities at bus terminals and railway stations were not
only due to bus companies and their cronies but also by the lack
of discipline and ignorance among would-be passengers.

Traffic flowing from Cikampek, the main exit for cars from
Jakarta to Pamanukan and Subang on West Java's northern coastal
route (Pantura), was smooth early on Friday, despite the slow
pace of vehicles.

The explosion of holiday travelers was most readily felt when
heavy congestion took place on a stretch between Indramayu and
Cirebon hours later, where an estimated 30,000 cars crept along
bumper to bumper, forming a line stretching between 10 and 20
kilometers.

Chief of Cirebon traffic police Adj. Comr. Supriyadi told The
Jakarta Post that seasonal roadside vendors in the towns of
Tegalgubug, Jatibarang, Karangampel, Celancang and Gunungjati had
contributed to the traffic congestion.

"The problem began at Tegalgubug with serious congestion
starting in Jatibarang. Such traffic jams take time to ease out,"
said Supriyadi.

On the Juntinyuat highway in the town of Indramayu thousands
of cars got stuck in a 10-kilometer-long queue. The congestion
began in the morning and go so bad that no car moved for
approximately six hours.

According to the head of the transportation office in Cirebon,
Subyantoro, the number of cars using the Pantura route increased
on Friday with a total of 22,051 cars. "However, the figures are
not higher than those of last year," he added.

In the capital of East Java,Surabaya, the rush of Idul Fitri
holidaymakers was also witnessed on Friday. As many as 50,000
travelers amassed at Bungurasih bus terminal on Friday, a 20
percent increase on the numbers just days before.

The Transportation Owners Organization promised to provide
more buses to accommodate the increasing number of passengers.

In Denpasar, Bali, the number of travelers bound from Bali to
Java reached a peak on Friday, when more than 40,000 people
crowded at Gilimanuk harbor in Negara, Bali wait to board vessels
heading for Ketapang harbor in Banyuwangi, East Java.

Inter-island buses, containers, trucks, private cars,
motorcycles lined up as far as 7 kilometers from Gilimanuk
harbor's gate.

Mulyohadi, general affairs manager of the harbor, told The
Jakarta Post on Friday that the management had anticipated the
rocketing number of passengers and in response began operating 19
ferries. "During normal days, the number of passengers reached
only around 5,000 to 6,000," he said. "There is a 28 percent
increase in the number of passengers, as compared to last year.

"On Saturday (today), we predict that the number of passengers
will gradually fall until Idul Fitri. It will rise again between
Dec. 22 and Jan. 4," Mulyohadi added.

PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) offers other options for
travelers. Since Dec.8, the company has added as many as 320
extra seats in executive and business class every day.

Sulaeman, official at the company's Bali office in Denpasar,
said that the company now operated several trains between
Denpasar and Surabaya, Denpasar and Jakarta, Denpasar and
Bandung, Denpasar and Yogyakarta.