March 27, 2025
JAKARTA – A work-from-anywhere (WFA) policy for civil servants and earlier school holidays for students have contributed to an earlier mudik (exodus) ahead of this year’s Idul Fitri holiday, as suggested by data compiled by authorities.
A recent survey by the Transportation Ministry has estimated that 146.48 million people will make their homebound journeys this year, with the peak of mudik flow expected to occur on March 28, or three days before the Idul Fitri holiday on March 31.
But authorities began reporting an uptick in traffic over the past weekend.
According to data from state-owned toll road operator PT Jasa Marga, 115,141 vehicles left the Greater Jakarta area on Friday, 10 days before Idul Fitri. The figure is 37 percent higher compared to the same time during last year’s mudik period.
State railway operator PT KAI has reported a similar trend, as over 174,000 people started embarking on their homebound journeys as of Saturday. The figure is 42.4 percent higher than last year.
Data from the Transportation Ministry collected over the weekend also revealed widespread increases in various modes of transportation compared to last year.
Read also: Government expects smaller ‘mudik’ amid bleak economy
The most significant rise was seen in the number of cars and train passengers, though ferry passenger numbers also saw a notable increase of 28.3 percent. This was followed by a 15.3 percent increase in airplane passengers and a 4.41 percent rise in bus passengers compared to the previous year.
As of Sunday, a total of 2.37 million people had embarked on their homebound journeys, marking an approximately 30 percent increase compared to the same time last year.
Transportation Ministry spokesperson Elba Damhuri attributed the jump to the government’s nationwide WFA policy for civil servants and extended holiday period for school students.
“These policies have given a direct impact on making the distribution of the mudik flow more even, as [the public] have started traveling early,” he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
While the WFA policy is in place only over the course of four days from Monday to Thursday this week, it effectively allowed government workers to start traveling to their hometowns as early as Friday last week. The Idul Fitri collective leave period for state workers will last until April 7.
The extended school holiday period, on the other hand, has given students two-and-a-half weeks off, as schools have been shuttered from March 21. An earlier plan was for schools to begin closing on March 24.
To further incentivize holidaymakers, the government has also slashed the price of airfares by 13 to 14 percent for flights between March 24 and April 7. Toll fee discounts are currently in place and will remain until March 28.
While holidaymakers have begun traveling earlier, the total number of people traveling home is expected to see a drastic decline. The ministry’s estimate of 146 million travelers this year is roughly 80 million people less than last year.
Observers have attributed the drop to a bleaker economic outlook amid the government’s austerity measures and an apparent purchasing power crisis that has caused some Indonesians to resort to their savings to survive.