Long Holidays During The Pandemic, The Minister Of Transportation Asked The Public To Use Mass Transportation

Extraordinary Train. (Photo: KAI)

JAKARTA - Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi asked the public to use mass public transportation when traveling during a long holiday at the end of October. This long holiday is during the rainy season and is still in a pandemic period.

"Public vehicles used by the public are actually not that risky. I urge people to use mass transportation and order tickets before the departure date," Budi said during a discussion at Graha BNPB, East Jakarta, Wednesday, October 21.

Budi claims that the use of mass public transportation has a lower risk of transmitting COVID-19 than using private vehicles.

"With regards to COVID-19. If they ride a car themselves, suddenly they have to jam on the road, and there are certain problems, it will create complications," he said.

In addition, according to Budi, the managers of mass transportation, including airplanes, trains, and intercity inter-province buses, are ready to face potential problems on the road due to bad weather and ensure vehicles are in good condition.

According to him, the management of long-distance trains will certainly coordinate that in potential places, they are well controlled.

Apart from that, in air transportation, weather forecasts, especially in the rainy season, are also a basis for the SOP. "So, if there is heavy rain, they have prepared everything," he said.

In land transportation or buses, Budi said that operators can guarantee that the driver controls the vehicle speed at a certain speed. It is different if the community uses private vehicles.

"When traveling (using private vehicles), people have to prepare their cars, tires, brakes. If the car is not fit, it's better to use mass transportation," said Budi.

"Because, in the rain, it is not certain that there is a place to patch tires or a very limited police guard," he continued.