Ministry ‘ready’ for Idul Fitri traveling peak

JAKARTA. The Transportation Ministry has announced its intention to ensure 519 aircraft, 1.400 buses, 1.100 ferries and 250 trains were ready to accommodate increased travel demand for the Idul Fitri holiday next month.

"Overland travel will increase about 3-4% from last year, while air travel will increase more than 5%," Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan said at the State Palace on Monday.

The ministry said hit had already begun to check the state of public transportation last week, ahead of Ramadhan.

The ministry decided that the additional Idul Fitri transportation services would start on June 24 and end on July 17 for road, rail and air transportation and from June 18 to July 24 for sea transportation. Minister Jonan ordered his staff to oversee the preparations for various modes of transportation.

The minister has set an ambitious target of zero accident during the peak travel season. “The target is zero [accidents],” he said in Bogor recently.

Last year, police recorded 2.346 accidents during the traditional Idul Fitri exodus of city dwellers to their hometowns and villages, with 497 people killed, 844 severely wounded and more than 3.000 sustaining minor injuries.

The target applied to all transportation modes, said Jonan, adding that preparations to achieve the target included requiring all vehicles to pass a roadworthiness test. “We have prohibited the sampling method to check the vehicles. All vehicles should be checked,” he added. (Ayomi Amindoni)