Migrant Movement Projected to Increase, Minister of Transportation Strengthens Coordination for Homecoming in West Sumatra

JAKARTA - Minister of Transportation (Menhub) Dudy Purwagandhi has strengthened coordination with the West Sumatra Provincial Government to anticipate a surge in migrant movements during the 2026 Lebaran Transportation.

The strengthening of synergy was carried out in a meeting with the Governor of West Sumatra Mahyeldi Ansharullah and the ranks of the Regional Government in Padang.

Dudy said West Sumatra has a characteristic movement during Lebaran because of the large number of perantau who return to their hometowns.

"West Sumatra is known as an area with a large number of perantau, so every time before Eid, there is a significant flow of arrivals from various regions in Indonesia to the Minang realm," he said in an official statement, Thursday, February 26.

Based on the Survey of Potential Movement of Lebaran Transportation 2026, it is estimated that 1.88 million people in West Sumatra will travel during the Lebaran period. Meanwhile, the flow to West Sumatra is projected to reach 5.36 million people, with the largest movement coming from Central Java.

According to Dudy, this condition requires mature, responsive, and integrated readiness.

He emphasized the importance of synergy between the Ministry of Transportation, local governments, the TNI, the National Police, and all stakeholders in effectively managing the homecoming and return flow.

"We hope that the West Sumatra Provincial Government together with related stakeholders can hold a service and monitoring post for Lebaran Transportation, ensure the readiness of the fleet through ramp checks and transportation nodes, and conduct vehicle and driver inspections," he said.

Apart from the readiness of airports and terminals, Dudy also highlighted the importance of preparing rest areas, providing travel information, monitoring disaster-prone areas, and traffic arrangements and engineering.

Dudy said that the optimization of mosques and Motor Vehicle Weighing Units (UPPKB) as resting places was also encouraged, with the support of safe parking facilities, sanitation, lighting, to light health posts.

Meanwhile, Dudy continued, traffic engineering will be applied conditionally if there are obstacles such as floods and landslides.

"At points prone to congestion and crowds, security personnel, the readiness of alternative routes, and the handling of crossings between roads and train lines need to be provided," he said.

Dudy also asked the regional government to prepare mitigation posts on disaster-prone routes and consider proactive steps such as Weather Modification Operations (OMC) in areas with high hydrometeorological potential.

In addition, Dudy invited the Central Government, Regional Government and the Police to pay more attention to the spill market area and tourist locations, especially in arranging parking areas so as not to cause congestion.

"This is because there is a potential increase in buyers in the market ahead of Eid al-Fitr and a potential increase in visits to tourist attractions after Eid al-Fitr (H+1 and H+2)," he said.