No sign of jump yet in number of return passengers
No sign of jump yet in number of return passengers
JAKARTA (JP): There was still no significant increase in
people returning from their hometowns after the Christmas and
Idul Fitri holidays, with local officials saying they do not
expect it to increase until Sunday.
However, traffic was heavy at the ferry port of Ketapang,
Banyuwangi in East Java on Thursday as cars queued to board the
ferry to Gilimanuk, Bali.
Many holiday makers are apparently extending their holidays to
the New Year which is just four days away.
Most cars boarding the ferry had out of town license plates
such as from Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya and Yogyakarta.
According to Antara until Thursday evening, over 1,000 cars
have taken the half-hour ferry ride to the holiday resort island.
A total of twelve ferries were operating on Thursday. Another
four were on standby should there be a jump in the number
passengers.
Meanwhile Yogyakarta's main intercity bus terminal of
Umbulharjo was quiet on Thursday.
Most buses that were full were carrying people to recreation
centers.
Ticket counters were also quiet.
Ticket counter attendants there said most people like those
from Jakarta had not purchased their tickets for their return
trip yet.
"The return surge is not evident yet. Just look for yourself,
its very quiet," Nanik, 50, a ticket counter attendant at the
terminal, said adding that the rush back will probably begin over
the weekend or after the New Year.
"Most people are still with their families," she said.
The head of the bus terminal, Jony Anggoro, believes the
terminal will get busy from Sunday.
Meanwhile in the port of Merak, West Java, the flow of traffic
was mostly toward Bakauheni, Lampung, which continued to the wee
hours of Thursday morning.
The number of passengers leaving Merak between Wednesday and
Thursday reached over 30,000.
The high numbers of people bound for Sumatra on the first and
second day of Idul Fitri was unexpected.
Antara said many travelers had decided to postpone their
departure to their hometowns because of security fears after the
violence that hit several parts of the country since Sunday
night.
"We were afraid of bombings," one passenger said explaining
why they decided to leave only on Wednesday.
With the large number of people traveling the past few days,
the number of accidents have also risen.
One of the carriages of the Sancaka train serving the
Yogyakarta-Surabaya route on Thursday night caught fire, forcing
passengers to vacate the train near Jambon village in East Java.
The fire was believed to have started from the engine room of
the locomotive.
"There were no casualties, just panicky passengers," local
train official Sudarsono said in Surabaya.
In Bandung, West Java, two accidents occurred on Thursday at
almost the same time in Kampung Cicenang, Sariater village, Cagak
district, Subang regency.
The first incident took place when a truck, carrying 28
passengers, overturned when the driver lost control of the
vehicle apparently due to brake failure.
The passengers suffered only minor injuries.
A few minutes later, 13 people were injured when a BMW sedan
and a Kijang van collided on a street also near Sariater village.
In Serang, Banten province, a Kijang van traveling at high
speed overturned on the Serang tollroad when its front tire
exploded. One of the passengers was killed.
The van was said to be carrying a family from Jakarta on their
to Saliran Indah beach in Merak.
The accident created traffic congestion for hours.
In Surabaya, East Java, a head-on collision occurred between
intercity bus Sari Indah and a Suzuki Carry minivan on Jl. Raya
Mantingan, Ngawi regency on Thursday afternoon.
Eight of 14 passengers onboard the minibus were killed. The
remaining six are said to be in serious condition.
Passengers aboard the intercity bus only suffered minor
injuries. (25/lup)