JAKARTA - A number of homecomers choose to go home using land transportation modes in the form of buses because apart from being able to take them directly to the destination city, they also don't want to be complicated with health protocol requirements (prokes).
One of the travelers to Lubuk Linggau, South Sumatra, Hari at Kalideres Terminal, West Jakarta, Thursday, admitted that he chose to go home by bus because he could get off directly at his hometown in Lubuk Linggau.
Meanwhile, if he took a plane, he had to get off in Palembang and still continue the road trip for about eight hours to arrive at Lubuk Linggau.
The bus journey from Kalideres Terminal to Lubuk Linggau takes about 24 hours.
"The ticket price of IDR 600 thousand can go down directly at Lubuk Linggau. I ordered a month before leaving, afraid I won't get a ticket," said Hari.
He also admitted that he was happy to be able to go home to Lubuk Linggau, South Sumatra because he had not returned to his hometown for two years."Since the pandemic, I haven't returned. I've been in Jakarta twice. I've been going home this year, I miss my family in my hometown," he said. Ribet Another traveler named Taqwa to Palembang, South Sumatra, left with his wife and nine-month-old child.
He and his small family chose to go home by bus because they did not want to be complicated with health protocol regulations at the airport.
"We chose the bus because taking a plane requires a booster vaccine and an antigen test," he said.
Taqwa has to spend only IDR 900 thousand for two tickets for him and his wife, while if you take a plane, of course it will cost more for the third ticket.
He brought two large bags containing personal clothes and gifts for his father's birthday in the form of bags and shoes.
"We are happy to be back in Palembang, after two years of not going home for Eid," said Taqwa.
Increasingly
Homecoming traffic at Kalideres Terminal is now increasingly felt with a departure rate of more than 1,000 people per day as Idul Fitri or Lebaran is getting closer.
The favorite destinations for passengers at Kalideres Terminal are Padang, Palembang, Lampung and Central Java.
Thousands of people crammed into the waiting room of the terminal. They brought various kinds of goods, ranging from special foods to various fashion products for relatives back home.
When compared to the situation during the pandemic, which averaged only 100 passengers per day, this year the number of passengers increased 10 times.
Previously, the Governor of DKI Jakarta, Anies Baswedan, appealed to travelers, especially parents, to fill their trips during their homecoming by telling stories to their children, including the story of how they arrived in Jakarta.
He said parents could point out points that describe the beauty of Indonesia so that their children could have a memorable experience during their homecoming trip.
As a child, Anies admitted that he also went home by bus and along the way his parents told stories about Magelang, Ungaran so he still remembers the experience to this day.
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