Reduce Mudik Traffic Congestion, Transport Minister Urges Public to Utilise Work From Anywhere Policy

JAKARTA — Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi has urged the public to utilise the work from anywhere (WFA) policy to schedule their mudik (homecoming) travel appropriately. In doing so, travel time distribution can be more evenly spread and potential congestion during the Eid holiday period can be reduced.

“The government appeals to the public to arrange their travel times by utilising the work from anywhere policy. This way, mudik travel distribution can be more even and reduce potential congestion,” said Dudy in a statement in Jakarta on Sunday, 15 March 2026.

The government is implementing the WFA policy coinciding with the Eid holiday period, which lasts approximately two weeks, from 14–29 March 2026. This period includes the Eid al-Fitr holiday, Nyepi holiday, and joint leave.

Dudy emphasised the importance of alleviating mudik traffic congestion through utilisation of the WFA policy whilst inspecting transportation conditions and several mudik routes in West Java during the 2026 Eid Transport period.

During the inspection, the Transport Minister was accompanied by West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi to ensure readiness of transportation services and smooth public movement during the mudik period.

“We are conducting this inspection to directly monitor traffic situations along one of the main mudik routes during the early mudik period,” said Dudy.

The first monitoring point was Cirebon. On this occasion, the Transport Minister reported that vehicle movement during the early mudik period was beginning to show increases.

He noted that based on Jasa Marga reports, vehicle volume had increased approximately 14 per cent compared to normal conditions.

“Thus far, there has indeed been an increase, but it is not yet particularly high. Based on reports from Jasa Marga, there has been an increase of approximately 14 per cent to date,” explained Dudy.

Based on a survey conducted by the Transport Ministry, the peak mudik traffic is estimated to occur on 18 March 2026.

Additionally, the government is also alert to potential traffic disruptions arising from community activities around mudik routes.

The Transport Minister appealed for activities with potential safety risks, such as residents seeking coins from road users on the North Coast route in the Kalisewo area, Indramayu, to be temporarily suspended.

He hoped such activities would be suspended given that during the mudik period, vehicle numbers would be extremely high and could potentially disrupt traffic flow.

“Most importantly, we are also concerned about the safety of our sisters and brothers in the Kalisewo area,” said Dudy.

On this occasion, the Transport Minister together with the West Java Governor also symbolically handed over compensation to 557 traditional transport drivers in the Cirebon area, comprising becak (pedicab) and ojek (motorcycle taxi) operators.

Compensation was provided to drivers affected by operational arrangements and control during the mudik period.

Dudy explained that this step was part of collaborative efforts between the central government and local government in maintaining smooth mudik traffic, whilst also providing attention to traditional transport drivers affected by traffic arrangements during the 2026 Eid Transport period.

The assistance programme provided compensation of 1.4 million rupiah per person to traditional transport drivers such as minibus, becak, andong (horse-drawn cart), and ojek operators.

Through this assistance, drivers are expected to be able to reduce temporary operational activities during the mudik period so that potential roadside disruptions can be minimised.

Dudy considered this step as also assisting field personnel in maintaining traffic flow on main mudik routes, particularly in the North Coast Cirebon area, which is one of the important corridors for public movement towards Central Java and East Java.

“We also appeal to other regional governments to initiate similar programmes according to their respective regional capacities. Such steps can help create safe, secure, smooth, and comfortable mudik travel for the public,” said Dudy.

Through various collaborative steps between the central government and local authorities, the 2026 Eid Transport implementation is expected to proceed safely, securely, smoothly, and comfortably for the public.

After conducting inspections in Cirebon, the Transport Minister continued his journey to Subang via land route to ensure infrastructure readiness and smooth traffic flow on main routes used by homecoming travellers.

Additionally, the Transport Minister also directly monitored conditions of congestion-prone points and readiness of travel safety support facilities. The inspection was concluded by returning to Jakarta via the North Coast route.

“This land route inspection is important so we can directly observe real conditions on the ground, from traffic flow smoothness, readiness of signs and safety facilities, to potential congestion points,” said Dudy.

With this, anticipatory steps can be prepared more optimally to ensure public mudik travel is safe, smooth, and comfortable.