TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The number of Eid al-Fitr Homecoming travelers at the Pulo Gebang Integrated Bus Terminal reached around 1,000 on the weekend that coincided with the Good Friday and Easter holidays.

"The number of travelers is still slow, and sometimes it is crowded, while sometimes it declines," a team commander at the terminal, Mahbud, stated on Saturday.

Entering the third week of Ramadan, some travelers decided to travel to their hometowns early to avoid traffic jams during the Eid Homecoming peak.

As of Friday (April 7), some 172 buses, with a total of 1,023 passengers, departed from the Pulo Gebang Terminal, while 121 buses arrived.

The Pulo Gebang Terminal management has forecast that the number of travelers during this year's Eid Homecoming period will reach 10,000.

This figure is expected to double from last year's Eid Homecoming period amid COVID-19 restrictions having been relaxed.

"The homecoming departure will peak D-3 on April 19-20, with the predicted 7,000 to 10,000 passengers," the terminal's administration official, Junaedi, stated.

One of the travelers, Yeni, 53, who headed to Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, said that she had bought her ticket last month.

"(This is) to avoid traffic jams and spend more time in my hometown. I will arrive tomorrow night after 30 hours of traveling," Yeni explained.

Yeni chose to take the bus, as Bukittinggi is closer to the bus terminal than the airport. She admitted feeling comfortable and safe in taking the bus ride on the way home.

A Padang-bound traveler, Revi, 23, also decided to travel early to avoid traffic jams.

"Next week, the streets will be crowded, so it is best to travel at least two weeks before Eid," she stated.

This year, Revi chose the bus for her homecoming trip, as she did not go home last year.

"For personal reasons, I chose the bus because I am scared to take the plane. It does not take that much time with the bus, at most two days and one night," she stated.

ANTARA

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