National Police Chief Pushes First Come First Served System to Prevent Congestion at Merak Port

Long queues at ferry ports during the annual Eid exodus have become routine. Learning from previous years’ experiences, National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo has now proposed a special method to prevent vehicle congestion at the peak of the 2026 Eid mudik (exodus).

The proposal was presented during a cross-sectoral coordination meeting on security and services for the Eid exodus and return journey at PTIK Auditorium in South Jakarta on Monday, 2 March 2026. One critical focal point under scrutiny is the Banten region, particularly the ferry crossing route from Java to Sumatra.

According to Sigit, a traffic engineering scheme will be implemented in stages, maximising three major ports: Merak, Ciwandan, and Bakauheni (BBJ). At Merak Port, operations are divided into three situational categories.

“In the green situation at Merak Port, seven wharves are utilised, with pedestrian facilities, four-wheeled passenger vehicles, and so forth. Green situation indicates normal queue conditions. Yellow situation is when vehicle queues extend to Cikuasa Atas petrol station. And red situation is when vehicle queues reach Merak toll gate,” said Sigit.

A similar scheme is also applied at Ciwandan Port. Meanwhile, at Bakauheni Port, operations focus on heavy vehicles such as tanker trucks, trailers and heavy equipment, with green, yellow and red indicators based on buffer zone capacity.

However, notably, during peak exodus periods, the National Police Chief proposes a different approach from convention. He has suggested implementing a first come first served method so that arriving vehicles can board ferries directly without being bound by ticket dates. Sigit believes that strict adherence to ticket schedules could actually increase congestion risk.

“During peak exodus, we seek permission from relevant stakeholders – whoever arrives first boards the ferry directly. Therefore, we also request policies regarding ferry crossing matters,” he said.

The police will conduct Operation Ketupat from 13 March to 25 March 2026. Hundreds of thousands of combined personnel have been mobilised to manage the Eid exodus and return journey this year.

Under the tagline “Safe Journey and Happy Families”, security operations will prioritise preemptive and preventive measures, accompanied by law enforcement action if necessary. The hope is that this annual tradition will no longer be characterised by long queues and extreme congestion at major ferry crossing points.