Merak, Banten (ANTARA News) - The ferry port of Merak in the western tip of Java has predicted a 21 increase in Idul Fitri or Lebaran travelers this week, a ferry service official said.

"Looking at passenger data last year, we believe that the number of Idul Fitri travelers this year will increase," Head of inland waterway transport service firm PT ASDP for Merak, Teja Suparna said here on Saturday.

He said that based on the increase prediction, his side continued to monitor it for fear of a jump-up in the flow of both passengers in vehicles and passengers in persons.

PT ASDP, he said, has predicted that the number of passengers and vehicles would begin to increase beginning from the D-Day minus five (five days before the Idul Fitri holidays) up to the D-Day minus one.

He said that at present the number of passengers on the D-Day minus seven and D-Day minus six reached 65,000 while that of two wheel and four wheel vehicles (both private cars and trucks) reached 12,500 units.

Therefore, his side predicted that the number of homeward and reverse flow of Idul Fitri travelers would increase to 21 percent this year.

Millions of seasonal passengers travel to their home towns to have family reunions during the annual post-fasting Lebaran holidays.

During the Idul Fitri holiday season last year, the number of home-bound travelers reached about 27.25 million, of which 16.2 million used various public transportation modes while the remaining 11.2 million used private cars and motorcycles.

In order to ensure the safety of passengers, Abdul Hakim of the House of
Representatives (DPR)`s Commission V for transportation affairs, voiced the need for transportation operators to give attention to the safety of passengers.

House Commission V asked all sea, land and air transportation operators as well as those traveling on private cars or motorcycles to give priority to safety.(*)

Editor: Ruslan Burhani
COPYRIGHT © 2012

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