Porter's Loneliness Complaint at Tugu Station Amid the Hustle of Homebound Travellers
Tugu Station in Yogyakarta has become one of the favourite destinations for travellers during the run-up to Eid 2026. Despite this, the situation does not translate into higher earnings for station porters.
Danu, one of the porters at Tugu Station Yogyakarta, reported that his orders have not increased significantly compared to ordinary days. In fact, he stated that the volume of orders remains almost the same as normal.
“It’s just crowded with people. Compared to a normal day, it might be just as busy. But compared to two weeks ago, it was definitely quieter,” said Danu when met at Tugu Station on Tuesday (17 March 2026).
Danu noted that his earnings also differ little from normal days. He stated that whilst there are additional orders, the volume is nowhere near the level of previous Eid periods.
“On a normal busy day, I get four to five orders. During Eid like this, at most I get seven or eight. This is like a weekend or Saturday–Sunday,” he explained.
A similar sentiment was expressed by Yatno, another porter at Tugu Station Yogyakarta. He said he sometimes receives fewer than five orders during this Eid holiday period.
“It’s the same, as long as it’s enough to eat. Orders aren’t guaranteed; sometimes three or more, but there’s no guarantee,” he said.
Porter services at the station are priced at Rp 38,000. Nonetheless, some passengers also tip the porters additional money. However, this does not address the scarcity of orders during the Eid period.
“For the past two years it hasn’t been busy. Today (until midday) I’ve only had one order,” said Yatno.
Tugu Station Flooded with Passengers
KAI Daop 6 Yogyakarta’s Communications Manager, Feni Novida Saragih, reported that on day seven of the 2026 Eid Transport operation, Tuesday (17 March), KAI Daop 6 recorded 48,080 long-distance railway passengers arriving and departing at Yogyakarta’s division. Based on preliminary data monitoring as of Tuesday (17 March) at 09.00 WIB, inbound volume was recorded at 25,909 passengers, whilst outbound volume reached 22,131 passengers. These figures remain fluid as ticket sales continue until midnight.
“Based on data monitoring today, there are still 3,826 tickets available until midnight from the Yogyakarta Daop 6 region. So there is still an opportunity for people who wish to begin their homebound journey today or start their long holiday trip for the Eid period,” said Feni.
Feni added that ticket sales for the Eid Transport operation from 11 March to 1 April 2026 had reached 406,922 tickets or 76% of the total ticket capacity provided, which is 533,270 tickets. This means 126,348 tickets remain available from stations in the Yogyakarta Daop 6 region until the end of the Eid Transport period on 1 April 2026.
The following are the six stations with the highest inbound passenger volume on Tuesday (17 March) at 09.00 WIB:
Yogyakarta Station with inbound volume reaching 12,991 passengers
Lempuyangan Station with inbound volume reaching 5,509 passengers
Solobalapan Station with inbound volume reaching 6,016 passengers
Klaten Station with inbound volume reaching 1,819 passengers
Purwosari Station with inbound volume reaching 1,110 passengers
Wates Station with inbound volume reaching 644 passengers
The following are the six stations with the highest outbound passenger volume on Tuesday (17 March) at 09.00 WIB:
Yogyakarta Station with outbound volume reaching 10,464 passengers
Lempuyangan Station with outbound volume reaching 5,992 passengers
Solobalapan Station with outbound volume reaching 5,139 passengers
Purwosari Station with outbound volume reaching 1,378 passengers
Klaten Station with outbound volume reaching 1,043 passengers
Wates Station with outbound volume reaching 550 passengers