TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - State-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia, or KAI, recorded 1,095,714 passengers on long-distance trains during the Christmas and New Year holidays. On December 22-29, KAI served an average of 136,964 passengers per day with a daily seat occupancy rate of 102 percent.

KAI spokesperson Joni Martinus said the figure jumped 204 percent compared to the same period in 2021, which was highly suspected because of changes in travel requirements.

The government no longer required COVID-19 screenings. “Besides, the train capacity is allowed to be 100 percent and rising public mobility is followed by the surge in the number of train trips,” Joni explained in a statement, Friday, December 30, 2022.

The two most favorite routes during the year-end holiday were Jakarta-Yogyakarta and Jakarta-Solo. Other routes favored by the public included Jakarta-Surabaya, Jakarta-Purwokerto, Bandung-Surabaya, Yogyakarta-Surabaya, and Yogyakarta-Banyuwangi.

As of December 30, 2022, sold tickets for long-distance trains until January 8, 2023, reached 1.6 million. This figure was equal to 69 percent of the provided capacity of 2.4 million seats.

“The number may increase because sales are still ongoing. We hope that the public can plan their trips well because there are still available tickets for the Christmas and New Year holidays,” said Joni.

MOH. KHORY ALFARIZI

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News