REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - Minister of Transportation EE Mangindaan has assured that his ministry will cooperate with the Navy to increase the number of travelers who will opt for the ministry's free-ride facility. The Eid al Fitr holidays this year will fall on July 28-29, 2014.
"They (the Navy) have agreed if we offer the facility to another group of about one thousand post-fasting Eid al Fitr festivity's travelers who will be transported by an Indonesian warship," Mangindaan stated on Thursday.
The minister said that his ministry had offered a free-ride facility to those who would return to their home towns to celebrate the Lebaran festivities. He remarked that his ministry provided a ship with a capacity of 12 thousand motor vehicles, each with three passengers, to be transported free of charge.
However, this facility is now fully booked. The transportation ministry also provided free-ride facility for six thousand motor vehicles, and an additional capacity of 12 thousand train passengers who will be charged.
"But, this facility has also been fully booked," the minister added.
The tickets for train services have been sold out. But, the Ministry of Transportation will add two more trains with capacity of 32 thousand passengers. The tickets for this will be sold directly to passengers through ticket counters at railway stations from seven days before until three days prior to the Lebaran D-day. Mangindaan stated that some private companies were also providing free-ride facilities for about 122 thousand passengers.
The number of homebound travelers during the Eid al Fitr season is predicted to increase by about 3.83 percent to 19.30 millions -including those using private vehicles, while the number was 18.59 million travelers last year. Some 5.59 million passengers are expected to use land transportation services, including 4.49 million who will use trains, 4.10 million will use airplanes, 3.54 million will opt for inland waterway transportation (ASDP) services, and 1.57 million will travel by ships
Private car travelers are forecast to reach 1.79 million this year, up 5.61 percent from 1.69 million last year, while the number of people riding motorcycles is expected to reach 2.37 million, up 4.3 percent from 2.27 million last year.
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