Public Enthusiasm for Early Mudik to Avoid Congestion Ahead of Lebaran

Jakarta, KOMPAS.com - A number of passengers at Pasar Senen Station in Central Jakarta are choosing to return to their hometowns earlier to avoid crowds ahead of the Lebaran mudik rush in 2026. One passenger, Fadil (32), a resident of Depok, deliberately left early for Yogyakarta to avoid being caught up in the surge of passengers approaching the holiday. “If it’s close to Lebaran it’s usually very crowded. I chose to go home earlier so the journey would be more comfortable,” said Fadil when met by Kompas.com in the Pasar Senen Station waiting room on Saturday (7 March 2026). Fadil, who works as a private-sector employee, says he almost always uses trains for Mudik because it is more practical than other transport. He said he secured a train ticket priced at Rp420,000 after taking part in online ticket sales. “The ticket sale window briefly failed because tickets ran out so quickly. After a few days I finally got my ticket,” he said. Another passenger, Maya (28), a resident of East Jakarta, also chose to return home to Surabaya, East Java, to celebrate Lebaran with her family. “Usually I take the bus, but this year I’m trying the train. I bought a ticket around Rp400,000,” she said. Maya briefly joined the “war” ticket sale when it opened, but didn’t immediately secure a ticket. “There was a brief failure during the war tiket sale, so I had to keep checking for several days until I finally obtained one,” Maya said. Meanwhile, Saputra (34), a resident of Bekasi, plans to return to his hometown of Malang, East Java, with his wife. For Saputra, returning home earlier is a choice to avoid crowding with other passengers ahead of the peak mudik period. “If Lebaran is too close, it’s usually difficult to get tickets and the station is also crowded. So we decided to go home earlier,” he said. He said the ticket price he paid was around Rp450,000. He bought the ticket about two weeks before departure.