Minister of Transport: Free intermodal mudik strengthens Lebaran transport services

Dudy said a number of mudik programmes include motorcycle transport using trucks, with registrations reaching 172 units out of a total quota of 240 motorcycles. ‘Why motorcycles? It is hoped that by providing free mudik facilities we can at least reduce motorcycle use on the road,’ the Minister of Transport said in Jakarta on Friday night, 6 March. Then registrants for free motorcycle transport by using the train service (Motis) have reached 9,529 units out of a quota of 11,900 motorcycles. Meanwhile, the number of passengers who have registered has reached 18,382 from a quota of 28,196 passengers. He also noted that the development of registrations for free mudik using buses has reached 15,550 people, from a quota of 15,834 passengers as of Thursday (5 March). Then, for mudik free by sea, the Ministry provides a quota of 69,232 passengers for all routes across Indonesia. Friday marks the first day of registration, with 5,933 participants registered. Furthermore, regarding air ticket sales following government stimulus, data shows for domestic flights in the period 13-29 March 2026, tickets sold reached 1,767,574 seats. The three routes with the highest sales were Jakarta-Denpasar, Jakarta-Medan, and Jakarta-Padang. He urged the public to make use of the free mudik programme to reduce private vehicle use during Lebaran. ‘As with the discounted air tickets, we hope this stimulus will help people obtain cheaper tickets,’ he said. He hopes Lebaran transport operations in 2026 can run smoothly and as planned. He emphasised the importance of synergy and intensive collaboration with all stakeholders, including ministries/agencies, local governments, and transport operators in realising Lebaran transport success. ‘I am optimistic that mobility during the Lebaran holiday can be safe, comfortable, and controlled,’ he said. The Ministry of Transport projects Lebaran 2026 passenger movement to be down about 1.7 percent from the previous year, from 146.4 million to around 143.9 million. The peak mudik is expected on 16 March and 18 March, after they proposed a work from anywhere (WFA) policy to help reduce congestion; the policy has received approval from President Prabowo Subianto. Meanwhile for the return flow, the government proposes applying WFA on 25, 26, and 27 March after the Idul Fitri holidays end.