Let the exodus begin

Let the exodus begin

Damar Harsanto and Ahmat Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In the next few days, the capital city of Jakarta will soon be
deserted. It will be unusually quiet. The streets will be free
from traffic jams and the vendors who run their business off the
road or even on the part of it will all gone.

At least 2.5 millions of people will leave the city to
celebrate the Idul Fitri holidays next Sunday and Monday, in
their hometowns, where they will have a big family reunion.

Jakarta is home to 8.4 million people - but during the day,
with many from the city bufferzones of Tangerang, Bekasi and
Depok working here, the number increases to about 10 million.

Governor Sutiyoso earlier said the city had prepared 6,813
buses, 66 trains and 31 ships to handle Idul Fitri holidaymakers.

The Transportation Ministry estimates that there will be more
than 15.8 million people from eight provinces (Lampung, Banten,
West Java, Jakarta, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java and Bali)
who will return to their hometowns by public transportation.

The annual exodus started this weekend and will reach its peak
on Thursday.

The tradition originated back in the 1970s, following the
implementation of the capitalist economics that resulted in the
development growth in some urban places and the migration from
the other parts of the country, according to sociologists.

It is the time to share the success with their big family -
the travelers will bring lots of stuffs for them, mostly things
that are not available in their home towns or villages.

"I have not visited my parents in Yogyakarta for one year. I
am quite busy with my work," Hadi, an employee of a private
company, said in Senen railway station, Central Jakarta.

For him, Idul Fitri is the only time he could bring along his
wife and three children to visit his home town.

The number of passengers in Senen station has started to
slightly increse on Friday.

Some scalpers were still seen operating in the station. A
passenger admitted to buy a ticket to Yogyakarta of Rp 75,000
from normal price of Rp 28,000 after he found out that all
tickets to cities in Central Java until one day before the Idul
Fitri were sold out on Saturday.

All tickets for executive class trains in the ticket counter
on Jl. Djuanda, Central Jakarta, for the same period were sold
out.

Badar Zaini, general manager of state railway company PT
Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) estimates that the peak season for
Idul Fitri will falls from Thursday to Saturday. At that time, PT
KAI expects to transport 197,802 people to cities across Java.

The company has prepared 240 trains to transport travelers.

According to Badar, 90 scalpers were nabbed this week, but
were released after being detained for a day.

The police once claimed they could not be legally processed
due to the lack of legal basis, but they later admitted that the
scalpers could be punished under the city bylaw on public order
nuisance.

Reports said that scalpers paid the police before they were
released.

In bus terminals, the "job" of ticket touters was taken over
by uniformed employees of bus operators, who forced would-be
passengers to buy the tickets at much higher prices.

When The Jakarta Post arrived at Kampung Rambutan bus terminal
in East Jakarta on Saturday afternoon, head of the terminal, Endi
Lastion, was beating one of dozens of touters in his office.

"They have been warned not to offer the tickets forcibly, as
such actions would tarnish the bus terminal's image," Endi said.

The government allowed bus operators to increase the fare by
12 percents from seven days before the Idul Fitri until seven
days after the holidays.

Iman, who would travel to his hometown in Yogyakarta said he
was asked by Ramayana bus operator to pay Rp 85,000 while the
normal price was Rp 50,000. "The price will skyrocket to Rp
140,000 on three days before the festivities," he added.

The number of passengers in the terminal increased by 10
percent to 11,000 on Friday, compared to an average of 10,000
people daily.

Endi predicted the flux of passengers would increase until
28,000 people per day on three or four days before the Idul Fitri
festivities.

There will be an addition of 100 buses to the current 600
buses at the terminal.

The Pulo Gadung bus terminal, East Jakarta, the Lebak Bulus
terminal in South Jakarta did not record any significant increase
of passengers on Saturday.

"May be, the increase will start tomorrow," Nadyassyam, the
terminal head, said. (Fitri Wulandari contributed to this
article)