Based on ANTARA's observation here on Friday afternoon, the travelers made the statement because the buses they were going to take did not arrive.
The implementation of the one-way traffic scheme from KM 47 of the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road to KM 414 of the Batang-Semarang Toll Road has had an impact on buses traveling from eastern Java to Jakarta.
At Kampung Rambutan Terminal, prospective bus passengers were queuing up, with some willing to wait further even after waiting for hours and some choosing to stay at a hotel and travel on Saturday (April 30).
Faqih, a prospective passenger traveling to Malang, East Java, said that as per the schedule, his bus was supposed to arrive at 2 p.m. local time, but because of the traffic scheme, it had been delayed.
"The schedule was at 2 p.m., but until now the bus has not come," Faqih said.
Meanwhile, Arief, another prospective passenger headed to Surabaya, East Java, said he had decided to stay at a nearby hotel because the bus he was going to take was still stuck in traffic in Semarang, Central Java.
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Arief said the bus should have left at 1 p.m. He claimed that he had contacted the bus company to confirm the departure timing and it turned out that the bus was expected to arrive at Kampung Rambutan Terminal at 11 p.m.
"The bus will arrive tonight and it will depart tomorrow morning, so we have chosen to stay overnight at a hotel," Arief, who is making a homecoming trip with his wife and nine-month-old son, informed.
Meanwhile, Kampung Rambutan Terminal head Yulza Romadhoni said his party will coordinate with bus operators to prepare a backup bus to break down the crowd of passengers at the terminal.
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Translator: Sugiharto P, Kenzu T
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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