Minister Of Transportation Budi Brings Good News, Toll Tariffs Will Be Free If More Than 1 Km Congestion During Eid 2022 Homecoming

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The government has allowed people to carry out Lebaran homecoming this year. Whereas previously due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lebaran homecoming was canceled for two years. It is estimated that as many as 85.5 million people will travel back and forth to their hometowns on Eid this year.

Meanwhile, the number of private vehicles is estimated to reach 39.8 million. The details are 22.9 million private cars and 16.9 million travelers using motorbikes. Then, there is also land transportation by public transportation as many as 25.7 million people, with details of 14.1 million buses.

Then, 6.7 million rental cars, 4.5 million travel cars and 0.4 million taxis. The rest of the travelers use air transportation, water transportation and trains.

Minister of Transportation (Menhub) Budi Karya Sumadi said that if there was a traffic jam on the toll road during Lebaran 2022 homecoming, it would be free of charge. This is done as an anticipation of the high public interest in traveling back and forth.

"There has been an agreement, if there is a traffic jam at the toll gate for more than 1 km, it is free (free)," he told reporters in Jakarta, quoted on Thursday, April 21.

According to Budi, this is done as an effort from the government to prepare toll road managers to work optimally. This means that there is no compensation to toll managers.

"So this is a way for us to demand that toll road managers work well, if they work well, there will be no traffic jams," he said.

Furthermore, Budi also said that his party would establish a homecoming post for Lebaran 2022 to monitor the development of homecoming and return flows.

"We will support later, if you want to follow the development of going home, we have a post, we will update the development twice a day," he said.

On the same occasion, the Director General of Land Transportation Budi Setiyadi said that which toll roads will be freed depends on the police.

According to him, the Ministry of Transportation gives the police full freedom to determine which toll roads are free.

"That's the police's discretion. So if the police feel that it's already (congested), maybe the police will (free up the toll road to make it easier). So that's the police (discretion)," he said.