Scalper Tickets Fail to Scan, Homebound Traveller Stranded at Ciwandan Port
A homebound traveller named Rijal was forced to pull aside from the queue at the entrance to Ciwandan Port in Banten on Wednesday 18 March in the early morning hours. The ticket he purchased failed to scan during inspection.
Amid the queue of motorcycles continuing to move towards the waiting area, Rijal’s progress came to a halt. He appeared confused, looking in various directions seeking certainty.
“It won’t scan, it keeps failing,” Rijal said when encountered at the location.
Rijal and two companions planned to travel home from Tangerang to Lampung by motorcycle. They departed at approximately 21:00 and arrived at the port area at 00:30 on Tuesday 17 March.
Before entering the port area, they purchased tickets from scalpers at the roadside. A single ticket cost Rp90,000, double the official rate of Rp45,000 through the application.
Of the three tickets purchased, only Rijal’s ticket could not be used. The problem was only discovered during inspection at the entrance.
After many years of homecoming trips purchasing tickets at the roadside, Rijal said this was the first time he had experienced such a mishap.
“I’ve come home many times, this is the first time it’s failed,” he said.
Rijal’s companion was equally confused. The reason being that two other tickets purchased at the same location worked without issue.
“It’s impossible to leave him behind, it’s unfortunate. This is the first time something like this has happened,” said one of his companions.
Rijal and his group are not the only homebound travellers purchasing tickets from scalpers. Another traveller, Hidayat, admitted doing the same.
Although aware that scalper tickets were more expensive, Hidayat reasoned he wanted to help the local economy. Fortunately, the ticket he purchased still worked.
“Ticket for Rp75,000, purchased at the roadside. Helping SMEs at the same time,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive of PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry, Heru Widodo, stated that the company would take action against ticket scalping practices at Merak and Ciwandan Ports.
He urged the public to purchase tickets officially through online services and not through intermediaries.
“We urge the public to purchase tickets online independently, not through intermediaries,” said Heru at Merak Port on Monday 16 March.
Heru added that the online ticketing system has been in place since 2020. According to him, the public should already be accustomed to this mechanism.
“This online ticket system has been running for six years. The public should already know that tickets are sold online,” he said.