Insufficient E-Toll Balance Causes Vehicles to Queue at Pejagan Toll Gate
As Eid 2026 approached with six days remaining, long queues of homebound travellers were recorded exiting Pejagan Toll Gate in Brebes, Central Java, on Sunday morning, 15 March 2026. The primary cause was again insufficient e-toll balances among drivers.
Vehicles queued at Pejagan Toll Gate included private cars, travel minibuses, and inter-city coaches arriving from Jakarta and West Java, crawling slowly as they attempted to exit.
These lengthy queues have become a recurring problem due to many homebound travellers neglecting to check or top up their e-toll balances. Not only travel coaches but also private vehicles lined up in the left lane to recharge their balances. Some drivers even exited their vehicles whilst queues remained long. Toll gate staff at Pejagan found themselves occupied assisting with balance refills.
“I forgot to top up my e-toll because I was nervous about leaving home,” said Sudarno, 47, a traveller from Jakarta heading to Cilacap.
Similar remarks came from Dika, 37, a travel coach driver from Jakarta bound for Purwokerto. “When I was about to leave home, the queue to top up was very long, so I thought I’d queue on the road instead,” Dika explained.
Pejagan Toll Gate serves as a popular exit point for homebound travellers heading to various southern Central Java destinations, including Purwokerto, Cilacap, and Kebumen. To ensure smooth and comfortable journeys, drivers should avoid topping up e-toll balances between 11pm and 2am when system maintenance occurs.
Long queues of homebound travellers had also occurred at Pejagan Toll Gate on Saturday morning, 14 March, as Eid 2026 approached with seven days remaining.
As the pre-Eid travel season approached, toll road managers began implementing traffic flow management strategies. The National Police Chief, General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, conducted a preparation visit for the exodus at Brebes Regency, Central Java, on Wednesday, 19 March, afternoon.
The exodus flow had increased since 20 December, rising from 17,350 vehicles on 19 December to 25,046 vehicles.