Ministry of Transport's Free Mudik Quota via Land Routes Almost Exhausted

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The Free Mudik programme organised by the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Indonesia ahead of Eid al-Fitr 2026 has attracted a very strong response from the public. In fact, quotas for several transport modes have almost run out in a short time since registration opened. Minister of Transport Dudy Purwagandhi said that, since it opened on 1 March 2026, the number of applicants for free Mudik up to 5 March 2026, particularly those using buses, has approached the available capacity. This means the seats remaining for the bus mode are only a few, or around 284 seats. The high level of interest indicates that the programme remains the public’s preferred solution for returning home without having to incur transport costs. In addition to buses, the free Mudik programme for motorcycles transported by trucks has also begun to fill. To date the number of applicants has reached 172 units out of a total quota of 240 motorcycles. As of early March, 9,529 motorcycles had been registered out of a total quota of 11,900 units. The number of passengers who have registered has reached 18,382 people out of a total quota of 28,196 passengers. The Ministry of Transport also offers a free Mudik programme via sea transportation. For this mode, the government has prepared a sizeable quota of 69,232 passengers spread across various routes across Indonesia. “Similarly with the discount on air tickets, we hope this stimulus can help the public obtain more affordable ticket prices,” he said. By way of illustration, movement of people during the Lebaran transport period 2026 is forecast to reach around 143.91 million people nationwide. As for the province with the largest projected movement, it is estimated to be Central Java with a potential movement reaching 38.71 million people.