TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsFree ‘mudik’ kicks off as Indonesia braces for massive population movement
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Motorists wait for the one-way traffic scheme implementation on March 29, 2025, in Tasikmalaya regency, West Java. The Tasikmalaya Municipality Police enforces a one-way traffic scheme on the road from Garut and Tasikmalaya in West Java to Central Java to prevent congestion during the 'mudik' (exodus) travel season ahead of the Idul Fitri holidays. (Antara/Adeng Bustomi)
T
he Transportation Ministry has introduced a free mudik (exodus) program this year, deploying hundreds of buses and tens of thousands of free tickets to help families save on travel costs and ease congestion, as authorities brace for one of Indonesia’s largest annual population movements.
Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said last week that the program will operate 401 buses to 34 provincial destinations and provide 50,000 free economy-class tickets for oceangoing passengers. The initiative also includes free train tickets, with a target of 28,182 passengers in Java.
The program is designed to help families reduce travel costs, particularly for low- and middle- income households who might otherwise struggle to afford returning home for Idul Fitri. “Apart from the free mudik, the Transportation Ministry also prepared a number of discounts [for expected travelers],” Dudy told journalists.
Based on its latest survey, the ministry projected that around 143.9 million people will travel nationwide during the Idul Fitri period in March. Despite a slight decline from last year’s 154.6 million travelers, the estimated figure this year remains historically high, with private vehicles expected to carry the majority of passengers.
Government-provided buses, trains and ships are intended to relieve some of the pressure and offer affordable alternatives.
Read also: Airlangga announces Rp 13t stimulus for Ramadan, Idul Fitri
The ministry also highlighted West Java, Jakarta’s neighboring province, as a potential bottleneck due to its strategic location and high population, with official data showing the province is home to roughly 50 million residents.
