Number of holiday travelers reaches new high level
Number of holiday travelers reaches new high level
JAKARTA (JP): The number of Idul Fitri travelers heading out
of the city to their hometowns in Java and Sumatra reached a new
high level at almost all bus terminals and railway stations
throughout the day yesterday.
The number of travelers was an estimated 10 percent higher
than that recorded on the previous two days and is expected to
reach almost the same level as that recorded last Saturday and
Sunday.
Officials at some terminals and stations were even predicting
that the total number of passengers might peak yesterday if a
large number of travelers departed in the evening.
The Pulogadung bus terminal in East Jakarta, which is the
city's busiest terminal, saw the departure of 356 buses with
23,785 passengers between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. yesterday.
"It's the largest number ever recorded here," terminal
official Agus Christianto told The Jakarta Post.
During the past eight days, in the leadup to Idul Fitri on
Friday, the terminals serving buses bound to cities in Java and
Sumatra have recorded a total of about 420,000 passengers, with
between 30,000 and 70,000 travelers per day.
As at many other terminals and railway stations in the city, a
large number of travelers remained stranded at Pulogadung bus
terminal.
"We have been waiting here in the hot sun for almost 6 hours
but still have not got a bus because there are too many people,
stronger than women like us, battling to get onto the buses,"
said Ditje, 27, the owner of a small beauty saloon, whose clothes
were wet with sweat.
She and her two female friends were bound for Kuningan, West
Java.
Authorities said the late arrival of buses was mainly due to
re-routing of buses traveling to Jakarta in order to avoid a
heavy traffic jam with vehicles leaving the capital.
"There's nothing to be upset about because it's (the Moslem
month of) Ramadhan, in which Moslems are not allowed to be
emotional," said Achmad Fikri, a university student.
Moreover, he said, "the arrangements for Idul Fitri
transportation are much better this year than in previous years."
Another crowd of thousands of Idul Fitri travelers flocked to
the Gambir railway station in Central Jakarta.
The director of the state railway company, Sumino Eko Saputro,
was predicting yesterday that the number of passengers might
reach 12,000 for the day, a figure ten percent higher than that
recorded on the previous day.
"But travelers have nothing to be worried about as we have
already prepared enough trains to cope with such a situation,"
Sumino said.
The state railway company, Perumka, has prepared special
trains, called Sapujagat, to pick up stranded passengers found at
city stations in the early hours of the morning.
The huge number of travelers and vehicles caused heavy traffic
congestion yesterday on highways and tollroads connecting Jakarta
with the rest of Java and Sumatra.
Several minor traffic accidents were reported during light
rain in many areas.
The Jatibening police post which is supervising part of the
Jakarta-Cikampek tollroad, for example, has recorded nine
accidents in the past six days.
However, no casualties have been recorded, said the post's
chief, Capt. Gono Suhardi.
"Most of the accidents were caused by bad wheels, brake
failure and reckless driving," he told the Post.
Gono's staff have ticketed seven drivers of pick-ups for
illegally carrying people in the back of their vehicles,
concealed beneath a plastic covering.
"We couldn't identify these passengers until we came close
because they had been covered like commodities in the back of the
pick-ups," he said. (bsr)