Kalideres Terminal Residents Celebrate Independence Day with Bus Pulling Contest

Instead of a tug-of-war, residents of Kalideres Terminal in West Jakarta held a bus pulling competition to commemorate Indonesia’s 81st Independence Day. The public enthusiastically participated in the unusual contest.

The competition began around 11:00 WIB. The front of the bus was opened and a rope was attached. The winner was the team that managed to pull the bus to the finish line in the fastest time. Two teams participated in the competition.

The first team consisted of men and women, around 15 people in total. They pulled a 24-tonne double-decker bus belonging to PO Gunung Harta. With great effort, the first team recorded a time of 50 seconds to pull the bus a distance of 5 metres.

Meanwhile, the second team was made up of women who pulled a bus belonging to PO Arimbi weighing around 8 tonnes. The second team recorded a time of about 15 seconds to reach the finish line and emerged as the winner.

Afterwards, participants were invited to take part in a cracker eating contest, which was specifically for women.

One member of the winning team, Ena (41), said the bus she pulled was extremely heavy. She admitted she needed special preparation by eating and drinking a lot. “It was really heavy. The preparation was all about energy. Alhamdulillah, I had breakfast beforehand. But my energy suddenly disappeared because the bus was so heavy. It was exciting. This is the second time I have joined the bus pulling contest. I also took part last year,” she said.

Even so, the woman who works as a ticket cashier for Putra Sulung and Rona Indah buses joked that the burden of her life was far heavier than the burden of the bus. “The burden of life is heavier than the burden of the bus,” she said.

Another participant, Nila (48), said she had also taken part in the bus pulling contest twice since last year. According to her, the bus pulled this time was much heavier. “I prepared for the contest since the 14th. Alhamdulillah, this bus pulling contest has been running for two years. As for the weight of the bus, wow, it was heavy. It could be like a double-decker. That Gunung Harta one was heavy,” said Nila.

Event chairman Alfian Chofy said the bus pulling contest at Kalideres Terminal would continue to be held every Independence Day commemoration. The agenda also aims to strengthen ties between employees and passengers at Kalideres Terminal. “From any terminal, bus pulling is definitely a signature moment of Kalideres Terminal. Its purpose is to maintain good relations with one another, and also the cohesiveness of the women and ticket counter staff,” said Chofy.

Chofy said the participants included bus conductors, terminal officers, and passengers. There were also traders selling in the terminal area. “From the food stalls, women traders, and ticket counter staff, everyone was ready to join. Alhamdulillah, there were two passengers who took part earlier, I knew about it,” he said.