Returning Travellers at Ciwandan Port Buy Tickets from Scalpers at Double the Official Price

Motorcycle travellers returning to their hometowns at Ciwandan Port in Serang are obtaining tickets from scalpers along Jalan Lingkar Selatan (JLS). Tickets with an original price of IDR 45,000 are being sold for significantly higher prices of up to IDR 90,000.

One such traveller, Adam, is returning from Bitung, Tangerang to East Lampung. He purchased his ticket from roadside stalls along JLS.

“I bought from the stalls because I tried buying online before but the payment kept failing,” Adam said at Ciwandan Port on Monday (16 March 2026).

Adam admitted he was unaware of the official ticket price but was certain it was cheaper. “I paid IDR 90,000. Well, going through scalpers is always more expensive,” he said.

Similarly, Amar is returning from PIK to North Lampung. He also purchased his ticket from a street-side agent.

“I bought from the roadside where there are many lined up,” Amar said.

Amar chose to buy from a scalper because he believed there was a distance restriction for purchasing tickets near the port. “They said you can only buy tickets from a certain distance from the port, so I went there instead,” he explained, having paid IDR 60,000.

Previously, Heru Widodo, Chief Executive Director of PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry, announced plans to take action against ticket scalpers at both Merak and Ciwandan ports in Banten. He urged passengers not to purchase tickets from scalpers.

“We once again urge the public to purchase tickets online independently and not through intermediaries,” Heru said at Merak Port on Monday (16 March 2026).

Heru emphasised that ASDP has been operating an online ticketing system for six years. He stated that the public should already be familiar with it.

“We’ve been offering online tickets since 2020, meaning the system has been running for six years. The public should know by now that our tickets have been sold online for the past six years,” he said.

He also announced plans to work with law enforcement to address the scalping problem at ports.

“We are collaborating with police and law enforcement agencies to take action against scalpers still operating in port areas,” he said.