Illegal Travel Services Play Cat and Mouse to Defy ‘ Mudik’ Ban

Despite the travel ban, many people are still trying to go on mudik using a number of tricks in order to escape the police’s checkpoints.

Kompas/Priyombodo

The travelers who are unauthorized travel passengers get off their vehicles at Polda Metro Jaya, Jakarta, Thursday (29/4/2021). A total of 115 illegal travel vehicles were caught in operation for two days, 27-28 May 2021. Illegal travel with destinations in West Java, Central Java, East Java and Lampung was stopped at a number of checkpoints on toll roads, arterial roads and mouse lanes.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The crackdown carried out by the Jakarta Police on 115 vehicles that were used as "illegal travel services" in the last two days indicated that many residents were still trying to go on mudik (exodus) despite the ban.

Vehicles carrying passengers who planned to go to their hometowns to celebrate Idul Fitri were seized on Tuesday during Operation Ketupat, a security operation held annually during Ramadan and the Idul Fitri holiday. Some of the vehicles used black license plates (private vehicles) some others had yellow license plates (public vehicles), but operated outside their designated routes. A number of the vehicles were seized during a traffic inspection at a number of locations on arterial roads, toll roads and jalan tikus (alleyways).

The 115 vehicles will be held until the end of the travel ban so they will not be used to carry passengers for mudik. "It is intended to have a deterrent effect,” Jakarta Police public relations head Senior Commissioner (Kombes) Yusri Yunus said on Thursday (29/4).

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The drivers of the illegal taxis violated Article 308 of Law No. 22/2009 concerning road traffic and transportation, which carries a maximum sentence of two months’ imprisonment or a fine of Rp 500,000. The police also ticketed all the vehicles.

Yusri asked the public to understand that the government’s initiative to prohibit people from traveling to their hometowns was intended to break the chain of Covid-19 transmission. The police firmness is expected to be able to discourage illegal travel services from transporting homecoming travelers despite the ban.

Kompas/Priyombodo

Police officers help carry the luggage of travelers who are illegal travel passengers caught by the operation when it is released at Polda Metro Jaya, Jakarta, Thursday (29/4/2021).

The traffic director of the Jakarta Police, Senior Commissioner Sambodo Purnomo Yogo said the police had also conducted a cyberspace patrol to discover illegal travel companies offering their services through the internet. "Some of them advertise their services through social media, such as Facebook and Instagram," he said.

The illegal travel services charge their passengers more than standard tariffs. With their services, travelers can avoid the obligation to follow medical procedures such the requirement to show a negative antigen test result. For example, passengers traveling from Jakarta to Cilacap (Central Java) are charged between Rp 300,000 and Rp 350,000 per person, far higher than the normal tariff of Rp 200,000 per person. When intercepted, almost all the vehicles were illegally carrying passengers. They mostly intended to go to a number of destinations in West Java, Central Java, East Java and Lampung.

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The passengers were then asked to either return to their departure points or were transferred to a nearby bus terminal. On Thursday morning, a number of passengers were sent by the police to the Kampung Rambutan bus terminal in East Jakarta and the Kalideres bus terminal in West Jakarta.

Some of them advertise their services through social media, such as Facebook and Instagram.

SIKM

As part of its efforts to support the government’s policy to impose the travel ban ahead of Idul Fitri, the Jakarta administration is preparing a regulation on exit and entry permit (SIKM) in the Jakarta area. Syafrin Liputo, the head of the Jakarta Transportation Agency, said the travel restrictions in the capital would be stipulated in a gubernatorial regulation.

The SIKM permits, which will be issued by the heads of Kelurahan (urban communities), applies to informal workers and the general public who will travel for urgent purposes. Travelling for urgent purposes includes visiting sick people or dying family members or accompanying a pregnant woman.

KOMPAS/KRISTI DWI UTAMI

A police officer from the Brebes Resort inspects a car with a police number from out of town while also socializing the prohibition of mudik (going home) to people crossing the West Java - Central Java border, in Losari District, Brebes Regency, Thursday (29/4/2021). Apart from Losari, a similar inspection was also carried out at the Transjawa Kilometer 252 Toll rest area in Bulakamba District.

The West Java provincial government and the West Java regional police have increased the number of checkpoints to stop travelers during the travel ban from 120 to 150 locations. The increase is made to anticipate the increase in the number of travelers ahead Idul Fitri including in alleyways.

"We will also raid the alleyways," said West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil during a Covid-19 handling coordination meeting at the Cirebon Regency Hall on Thursday. Also attending the meeting were National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) head Doni Monardo, West Java Regional Police head Inspector General Ahmad Dofiri, Cirebon Regent Imron and Cirebon Mayor Nashrudin Azis. Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi attended the meeting virtually.

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Don said that about 18.9 million people planned to travel to their hometowns ahead of Idul Fitri despite the travel ban. The Idul Fitri exodus last year caused a sharp increase in new Covid-19 cases. Budi Karya hoped regional governments and the police could work together to prevent people from traveling to their hometowns.

Efforts to prevent the spread of Covid-19 also included the restriction of the mobility of Indonesian migrant workers who arrived in the country such as in Batam, Riau Islands. Ferry ports in Batam, for example, have tightened passenger screening ahead of the Idul Fitri travel ban on May 6 to 17, 2021. The international port will also limit the number of migrant workers using a ferry service, from around 200 people per day to only 900 people when the ban has been enforced.

"Inter island ships are still allowed during the ban, but they are only allowed to transport vehicles used for logistics purposes. The only passengers allowed to travel by ship are those on official duty or traveling for urgent purposes," said the supervisor of PT Angkutan Sungai, Danau dan Penyeberangan Batam ferry service, Herbert Damanik.

(JOG / IKI / NDU / ZAK / RTG / MEL / DIT / IGA / HLN / CAS / AIK)

This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi.