TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi on Sunday reminded members of the general public who plan on traveling to their hometown during the ‘mudik’ or the Eid Homecoming mass exodus to reconsider a safer option. This mass exodus is an annual tradition during the Eid al-Fitr which marks the end of Ramadan.

Not only is riding a motorcycle for a lengthy period of time tiring, the risks involved are also much greater compared to alternative transportation the government provides, he said. The Transportation Ministry has prepared a budget of Rp20 billion to accommodate this year’s mudik.

“One thing we must pay attention to is that land travel is tiring, especially if it involves riding a motorcycle. Which is why it is best not to mudik riding one,” said Minister Budi in his visit to the Kampung Rambutan terminal on April 17.

A solution he offered is the government program that offers free transportation for people traveling back to their hometowns as the land transportation directorate general said these free transportation will be provided by a number of state-owned enterprises.

Moreover, he predicts that the number of people traveling in this year’s ‘mudik’ will increase by 40 percent compared to 2019 considering that this activity was temporarily banned in an attempt to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in 2020 and 2021.

Read: Booster Vaccination in Greater Jakarta Targeted to Reach 50% on D-7 of Eid

M FAIZ ZAKI