Idul Fitri travellers flocking to stations
Idul Fitri travellers flocking to stations
JAKARTA (JP): Jakartans who intend to celebrate Idul Fitri in their hometowns in West, Central and East Java have been packing bus terminals and railway stations over the last two days.
The number of passengers in four bus terminals and seven railway stations in Jakarta started to increase on Tuesday and the state-owned railway company Perumka started operating two additional locomotives.
As many as 30,132 people left Jakarta for their hometowns by bus yesterday.
As many as 16,299 of them left from Pulogadung terminal, an increase from 3,532 people a day earlier. A total of 8,176 people left from Kampung Rambutan, East Jakarta, 2,020 people from Kalideres in West Jakarta and 3,637 people from Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta.
A total of 76,196 people left the city through 25 bus terminals on Tuesday, the first day of the official operation of additional public transportation vehicles.
The government has prepared 8,444 buses from Feb.13 until March 2 for the mass exodus for the Idul Fitri holidays, with 6,694 regular buses and 1,750 as back-up fleets.
The back up fleets are city buses from the state-owned bus companies PPD, Damri, PT Mayasari Bakti, Arion and Bianglala.
As many as 3.5 million people are expected to leave the capital for the Idul Fitri holidays, which fall on Feb. 20 and 21 this year. Two million people are expected to go by public bus, one million by train and 500,000 will take their car.
Meanwhile, total passenger volume hit 27,231. A total of 2,032 people left from Kota stations, 8,440 people from Gambir, 5,233 people from Jatinegara, 1,442 people from Tanah Abang, 341 people from Manggarai, 59 people from Kemayoran and 9,684 people from Senen station.
The company deployed two additional trains plying Jakarta- Malang and Jakarta-Jember on Tuesday. Perumka made 236 trains available for the mass exodus.
More than 163,000 people are expected to go home by train between Tuesday and March 2. (yns)