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.