Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Some 5,000 Idul Fitri travelers are joining free `mudik` (home-bound trips) program of cellular phone operator PT Telkomsel this year, an executive of the company said.

As part of the program, PT Telkomsel dispatched 1,000 Idul Fitri travelers on Thursday using train.

The 1,000 Idul Fitri travelers went home towns through PT Telkomsel`s Mudik (going home towns) for free program or `Mudik TelkomselSiaga Gratis.`

"TelkomSiaga Mudik For Free program is a form of appreciation of Telkomsel for its customers and a synergy with state-owned railway company PT Kreta Api Indonesia (KAI)," Telkomsel`s Vice President for Jakarta and West Java Venusiana Papasi said after bidding a farewell to the travelers at Gambir Railway station here on Thursday.

Vanusiana said the travelers were transported by 136 coaches of the executive Agro Anggrek, Bima and Sembrani trains, with the farthest destination of Surabaya in East Java.

The trains will pass on two main lanes, namely the northern lane (Agro Anggrek and Sembrani) passing by Pekalongan, Semarang and Surabaya (final distination), and the southern lane (Agro Anggrek and Bima) passing by Cirebon, Purwokerto, Yogyakarta, Solo, Madiun, Kertosono, Jombang and Surabaya (final destination).

She said that Telkomsel in its `Mudik TelkomselSiaga for free` for 2011 dispatched 5,000 Idul Fitri customer travelers who were transported by five modes of transportation, namely trains, ships, buses, cars and airplanes.

Through the sea, Telkomsel sent 2,000 travelers with the routes of Makassar-Tanjung Perak of Surabaya (Laboar ship, 600 travelers), Belawan-Batam (Kelud ship, 700 passengers, Ambon - Bau Bau South Sulawesi (Dobonsolo ship, 350) and Sampit - Palangkaraya - Tanjung Emas - Semarang (Lawit ship, 350).

"Telkomsel is the only cellular operator which serves travelers with a telecommunication facility on 15 ships of the state-owned shipping lines PT Pelni," Venusiana said.

Apart from that, Telkomsel also facilitated the departure of 100 travelers using cars in cooperation with a Toyota, Daihatsu and Nissan sole agent (ATPM).

The number of Telkom`s mudik for free program`s participants using buses reached 1,000 customers while those departing in airplanes consisted of 600 Idul Fitri revelers with the routes of Jakarta-Padang, Jakarta-Surabaya and Jakarta - Makassar.
(Uu.A014/HAJM/S012)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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