Rental of Mattresses on Lembar-Padangbai Ferry: NTB Transportation Department Requests Evaluation
The Head of the West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Transportation Department, Ervan Anwar, has commented on the viral video of passengers being asked to pay for mattress rentals on the KMP Gemilang VIII ferry, which travels between Lembar and Padangbai, Karangasem. He expressed his disappointment with the incident.
Ervan stated that this activity will be reported to the Land Transportation Management Agency (BPTD) and the Port Authority and Harbormaster Office (KSOP) of Lembar.
“Because we have been regulating (prohibiting) this on the Kayangan-Poto Tano crossing. However, the Bali-Lombok route falls under the authority of BPTD and KSOP. But we will still coordinate,” Ervan said on Tuesday (February 24, 2026).
Ervan added that the issue needs to be discussed and evaluated together with Gapasdap and related stakeholders to strengthen supervision.
“So, it needs to be discussed for supervision and other matters with the relevant stakeholders,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, the General Manager of PT Angkutan Sungai, Danau dan Penyeberangan (ASDP) Lembar, Handoyo, said that all ASDP-owned ferries are prohibited from renting out anything on board during crossings. All facilities can be used for free by passengers.
“If it’s us at ASDP, there are no rules about renting out mattresses; everything is free,” Handoyo added.
He mentioned that the video complaint of passengers being asked to pay for mattress rentals on the ferry occurred on the KMP Gemilang VII. He stated that this ship is not owned by ASDP.
“The incident did not occur on an ASDP-owned ship. It belongs to PT Trimitra Samudra,” he said.
Handoyo admitted that the authority to regulate activities that disturb passengers on ferries lies with Gapasdap. “They are the ones who directly handle this. Because each ship operator has its own policies. If a fee is charged, it is the ship’s management that can explain this,” he said.
Previously, passengers on the KMP Gemilang VIII protested being asked to pay for mattress rentals on the ship. A video recording of the incident went viral on social media.
The passenger in question was identified as Abdurrazak. In the video, he is seen arguing with someone about the mattress rental for a place to rest on the ship.
The video then received various comments from the public, with most comments supporting Abdurrazak’s actions to make passengers aware that the facilities on the ship are free to use for rest.
When confirmed, Abdurrazak stated that he boarded the KMP Gemilang VIII on Sunday (February 22, 2026) at around 10:30 PM with his wife. Feeling tired, they wanted to rest in the designated area on the ship. He then moved the existing mattress because he didn’t want to pay, as he had brought his own mattress.
“But when I moved the mattress that was already in the resting area, someone stopped me and asked me to pay. I explained that I had brought my own mattress, so I didn’t need to rent. I also know that using the existing mattresses costs money because I often travel between Padangbai and Lembar,” Abdurrazak said on Monday (February 23, 2026).
However, the person, who was allegedly not a staff member or operator of the ship, insisted that he pay. This led to an argument, and Abdurrazak asked the captain about it, who explained that the mattresses could be used for free if they weren’t replaced with personal ones. He stated that he recorded the incident on his phone.
“I was really tired at the time and needed to rest; if I weren’t tired, I wouldn’t have made a fuss about it,” Abdurrazak said.
After arguing for a while, the person admitted that he had not finished speaking. There were many witnesses who saw that Abdurrazak was being prevented from using the area even though he had brought his own mattress. After the argument, he and his wife rested in the area using their own mattress.
“I don’t want to blame anyone, but I want this to be a lesson for other passengers so that similar incidents don’t happen again,” Abdurrazak explained.