TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, said that the free homecoming program using sea transportation will be intensified in the next Eid Al-Fitr season. The program was proposed by the Transportation Ministry to reduce the number of people traveling to their hometown using motorcycles.

"I want [the number of passengers] to be tripled," said Budi during an inspection at Tanjung Emas Port in Semarang on Wednesday, June 13, 2018. "But it depends on the boat’s availability," Budi continued.

Budi said that the free homecoming ship occupancy rate reached more than 90 percent out of the 30,000 seat quotas. If everything goes as the Minister had targeted, the number of passengers of the program is expected to increase to 90,000 passengers. However, the seemingly massive number is nothing compared to the number of people using motorcycles recorded at over 6 million.

Nevertheless, the high number of free homecoming program this year has been considered successful to decrease the number of homecomers using motorcycles. Budi said that the number of homecomer using motorcycles have decreased by 30 percent.

Budi added that in the future, the Transportation Ministry will cooperate with the private sector to initiate the free homecoming program. The future program will involve low transportation costs, according to Budi.

"So later there will be free transport, and paid transport," Budi said.

FAJAR PEBRIANTO