Mudik Exodus Peaks, Kalideres Terminal Crowded with Travellers

Jakarta — Four days ahead of Eid al-Fitr 2026, the mudik (homebound) exodus at Kalideres Terminal in West Jakarta has begun showing significant increases. Thousands of residents are seen crowding the terminal to return to their hometowns.

Kompas.com’s observations at the location on Tuesday (17 March 2026) from morning showed busy and crowded conditions across various points in the terminal. Congestion was evident from rows of buses queuing to enter the terminal area. In the departure counter area, long queues of passengers lined up in front of several bus company counters.

The sight of stacks of large suitcases, tightly wrapped cardboard boxes, and sacks and backpacks filled almost every corner of the waiting area. In the departure parking area, inter-city inter-provincial (AKAP) buses from various operators were on standby, loading cargo and boarding passengers. Activity at the terminal intensified with porters moving back and forth carrying passenger luggage into bus cargo holds.

Several yellow advisory banners were also visible around the terminal, reminding prospective passengers to purchase tickets at official counters and to verify that the bus company name matched the fleet they would be boarding.

Kalideres Terminal Head Nur Prasetyo confirmed the increase in mudik traffic that began last weekend. He stated that a total of more than 7,700 mudik passengers had been dispatched from Kalideres Terminal since eight days before Eid to four days before Eid.

Prasetyo detailed that the passenger surge aligned with predictions of the peak first wave of the mudik exodus occurring six days before Eid, on Sunday (15 March 2026). “For the breakdown, eight days before Eid we dispatched 1,484 passengers. This increased to 1,779 people seven days before Eid. The highest surge or peak so far occurred six days before Eid with 2,276 passengers transported by 153 buses. Four days before Eid, 1,861 people departed,” he said.

Meanwhile, on four days before Eid or Tuesday (17 March 2026) until 09:00 Western Indonesian Time, 384 passengers had departed using 23 buses.

Based on operational data, mudik traffic from Kalideres Terminal is dominated by destinations on Java and Sumatra. “The majority of passengers departing from Kalideres Terminal are headed to Central Java, which represents the highest percentage at 38.9 per cent. This is followed by West Java at 15.2 per cent,” Prasetyo said.

Additionally, inter-island mudik passengers heading to Sumatra are also quite high, particularly to South Sumatra, which accounts for 12.3 per cent of total passengers.