No jump yet in flow of people returning to Jakarta

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

There was no significant increase in the number of people returning to Jakarta through the city's three major bus terminals -- Kampung Rambutan and Pulogadung in East Jakarta and Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta -- on Sunday, seven days after the Idul Fitri celebration.

The number of passengers disembarking at the three bus terminals has not increased over the last few days after the Idul Fitri holiday with the arriving buses being not too crowded.

The number of buses arriving at the Lebak Bulus terminal, for example, reached only 77 with 1,508 passengers from early in the morning until 7 p.m. on Sunday, as compared to 199 buses with 5,144 passengers in the corresponding period on Saturday.

"The number of passengers is about the same as on ordinary days ... probably it will increase substantially on Monday because Tuesday will be Christmas and there will be no more holidays after that," Chaerudin, one of staff members at the Lebak Bulus bus terminal, said.

J.A. Barata, spokesman of the directorate general for land transportation of the Ministry of Transportation, however predicted that the peak for incoming travelers will occur on Wednesday or Thursday.

Barata's argument was based mainly on the fact that school holidays will end late this month.

Chaerudin said that this year's exodus during Idul Fitri was different from last year when both the outgoing and returning passengers made the bus terminal officers busy because Idul Fitri and Christmas were close together.

This year Idul Fitri, Christmas and the New Year take place at an interval of about one week, thereby giving a longer time for the holidayers to leave and return to the city, he said.

Meanwhile, the number of buses entering Kampung Rambutan bus terminal from early in the morning until noon on Sunday reached 242 with 8,386 passengers, as compared to 715 buses with 23,050 passengers a day earlier, according to Antara.

At the Pulogadung bus terminal, the condition was about the same with the number of buses reaching 204 with 6,453 passengers on Sunday as compared to 117 buses with 5,850 passengers on Saturday.

By comparison, 80 to 90 buses usually enter the Pulogadung bus terminal transporting about 1,700 passengers on ordinary days.

In total at least 170,000 outsiders poured into Jakarta over the last three days alone, disembarking from three bus terminals.