Toll Roads Still Congested During Lebaran Return Flow, Here's the Culprit

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - The long queues that frequently occur at toll gates during the Lebaran homecoming flow are not merely due to a surge in vehicle volume. PT Jasa Marga (Persero) Tbk has revealed that one of the main causes of congestion actually stems from something often overlooked by road users: insufficient e-toll balances.

Jasa Marga CEO Rivan A. Purwantono explained that this phenomenon directly impacts vehicle queues at toll gates.

“With insufficient e-toll balances leading to high top-up activity at toll gates, this will cause significant delays and result in queues at the toll gates,” Rivan stated when contacted on Wednesday (25/3/2026).

The activity of recharging balances at toll gates slows down what should be a quick transaction process. When thousands of vehicles do the same simultaneously, long queues become inevitable.

This situation is expected to potentially recur during the return flow, particularly at the Cikampek Main Toll Gate, which is a crucial convergence point for vehicles from the Trans Java route heading to Jakarta. Therefore, road users are advised to be better prepared before starting their journey.

Rivan emphasised the importance of ensuring sufficient balance from the start of the trip, especially for those travelling long distances.

“Prepare sufficient e-toll balance for road users undertaking continuous journeys, particularly from the Trans Java direction to Jakarta,” he said.

For the journey from Semarang to Jakarta, vehicle class I users are advised to prepare a minimum balance of Rp500,000. Meanwhile, for those departing from Surabaya to Jakarta, the recommended minimum balance is Rp1,000,000.

Additionally, road users are reminded about the closed transaction system on the Trans Java Toll Road. In this system, the card used upon entry must be the same as the one used upon exit. This means users cannot switch to another card if the balance is insufficient midway through the journey.

Jasa Marga also stressed that minor disruptions at toll gates can have a major impact on traffic flow. Therefore, compliance with signs and instructions from officers is an important factor in maintaining smooth traffic.