Jakarta – Christmas and New Year (Nataru) holidays are always a big momentum for the Indonesian people, with a significant increase in mobility and transportation needs. To address this, the Government through the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) has shown its commitment to ensuring smooth and safe transportation. This is reflected in the various strategic steps that have been prepared ahead of the 2024/2025 Nataru holidays, one of which is preparing good infrastructure.
The increase in infrastructure ahead of the 2024/2025 Christmas and New Year holidays was emphasized by the Minister of Transportation, Dudy Purwagandhi, who said that the national transportation infrastructure is ready to support community activities. The Minister of Transportation also said that the government has conducted a comprehensive evaluation and formulated strategic policies to face various challenges and disaster mitigation.
“In anticipation of traffic jams, congestion at transportation hubs, safety issues, and anticipation of weather changes during the 2024/2025 Christmas and New Year transportation period, the Ministry of Transportation has taken strategic policy steps and disaster mitigation plans,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Transportation explained that in the land transportation sector, the Ministry of Transportation has provided parking pockets, buffer zones, the implementation of a delaying system, incidental permits for bus companies, and contra flow arrangements. Furthermore, in the sea transportation sector, navigation and patrol ships, alternative ports, and emergency response protocols for unexpected situations have been prepared.
On the air side, anticipatory measures include handling the impact of volcanic activity, flight delay compensation mechanisms, and handling airport access congestion. As for rail transportation, personnel readiness, material equipment for standby (AMUS), and supervision of railway lines prone to congestion are priorities.
Furthermore, the Minister of Transportation said that to ensure smooth travel and increase public interest in traveling during the 2024 Christmas and 2025 New Year holidays, the Ministry of Transportation has prepared various transportation facilities and infrastructure. The facilities provided include 32,130 bus units with a total capacity of 1.2 million passengers, 113 type A terminals, 764 ships with a capacity of 60 thousand passengers, and 110 seaports.
In the railway sector, there are 2,683 trains with a capacity of 4.1 million passengers, supported by a railway network in the regions of Sumatra, Java, and South Sulawesi. In air transportation, 417 aircraft units have been prepared with a capacity of 8 million passengers, as well as 56 airports.
Furthermore, for crossings, there are 159 ships with a capacity of 2.1 million passengers, 11 crossing ports, and various supporting facilities, such as 29 moveable bridge piers, 2 pontoon piers, and 17 plengsengan piers.
This concrete step shows the government’s seriousness in improving public transportation services and public safety. With synergy between agencies, including BMKG, Basarnas, and Korlantas Polri, as well as cooperation with local governments, it is hoped that all these efforts will be able to provide a comfortable and safe travel experience during Nataru 2024/2025. With this, of course, the public should appreciate the government’s commitment to continue to improve infrastructure and transportation services in Indonesia.