Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — The Directorate General of Land Transportation under Indonesia’s Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) is rolling out a free travel program for the Christmas and New Year holiday season (Nataru) 2024/2025. This initiative aims to ensure safer and more efficient travel during the busy holiday period.
Registration Details
The program offers a total of 3,500 seats, with online registration available via the Mitra Darat app from December 12 to December 21, 2024. Travelers are required to download the app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store and complete the registration process as instructed. After registering online, participants must validate their registration in person at the Kemenhub central office or GOR Bulungan in Blok M, Jakarta.
Transportation Allocation
The initiative will deploy 88 buses and two trucks capable of carrying 60 motorcycles. According to Ernita Titis Dewi, Director of Road Transport, the program offers convenient routes to several cities in Java.
The bus routes, each with a capacity of 40 passengers, include:
- Jakarta–Solo
- Jakarta–Yogyakarta
- Jakarta–Surabaya
- Jakarta–Wonosobo
- Jakarta–Semarang
- Jakarta–Wonogiri
- Jakarta–Cilacap
- Jakarta–Purwokerto
- Jakarta–Malang
- Jakarta–Kediri
- Jakarta–Madiun
For motorcycle transportation, two trucks will operate on the following routes:
- Jakarta–Solo
- Jakarta–Yogyakarta
Buses will depart from Terminal Pulo Gebang and Terminal Kampung Rambutan on Tuesday, December 24, 2024, while motorcycles will be transported from Terminal Pulo Gebang on Monday, December 23, 2024.
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Safety Measures
To ensure the vehicles’ roadworthiness, a ramp check will be conducted on December 22-23, 2024. This evaluation is crucial for maintaining the safety standards of buses and trucks participating in the program.
Holiday Travel Predictions
Based on a survey conducted by the Transportation Policy Agency (Baketrans), over 110 million Indonesians are expected to travel during the holiday season. The free travel program is anticipated to alleviate the burden on private vehicles, reducing traffic congestion and enhancing safety.
“We hope this free travel service will be optimally utilized by the public and help lower accident rates during the long holiday,” Titis emphasized.
(Becky)
