Jakarta (ANTARA) - Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi assessed that the Eid homecoming exodus this year went smoothly in the transportation sector.

"In general, the 2024 Eid homecoming travel went well, although there are several notes for improvement," he said in a statement from his office on Wednesday.

He expressed gratitude to all stakeholders, including related ministries and institutions, the National Police (Polri), the National Armed Forces (TNI), regional governments, private transportation operators, and mass media that have also provided outreach and education to the public.

He also remarked that the success could not be separated from the leadership of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), who provided direction regarding transportation during the Eid homecoming season.

However, Sumadi stated that Jokowi had given some notes, including on the long traffic jams at Merak Port and several toll roads.

The minister said he welcomed the inputs and suggestions as evaluation material to make improvements next year.

"This evaluation will inform preparations for future mass public movement, including during Christmas and New Year holidays," he said.

One of the parameters used to evaluate the implementation of the 2024 Eid homecoming transportation is the reduction in the number of traffic accidents on April 4–16 by 8 percent as compared to 2023.

Moreover, the community's role is important in realizing a safe and smooth homecoming if they follow the rules and regulations, Sumadi added.

"We apologize if there are still shortcomings in organizing this year's homecoming travel," he stated.

Sumadi said that he regularly monitored the homecoming traffic at the Integrated Command Post and several locations, such as Lampung, Banten, Central Java, Bali, East Java, and West Java.

He said that the monitoring would continue until April 18.

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Translator: Muhammad Harianto, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Anton Santoso
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