The ministry is still in the process of gathering the records."
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The number of homebound travelers, or popularly known as pemudik, traveling by motorcycles declined about 15 percent as compared to last year due to the free homecoming program, noted an official of the Indonesian Transportation Ministry.

"The number of personal vehicles such as motorcycles decreased by 15.52 percent from 1,737,601 vehicles in 2013 to 1,467,840 vehicles in the same period in 2014," Head of Communications Ministry of Transportation J.A. Barata stated here.

Based on data furnished by the Ministry of Transportation, the number of private cars increased 6.03 percent from 1,261,246 vehicles in 2013 to 1,337,345 vehicles in 2014.

Meanwhile, according to data from the National Police, the number of traffic accidents on non-toll roads decreased about 13.54 percent, from 1,832 accidents in 2013 to 1,584 accidents in 2014.

While the number of accident-related deaths also declined about 8.33 percent, from 384 victims in 2013 to 352 victims in 2014.

"The ministry is still in the process of gathering the records," he asserted.

Earlier, Minister of Transportation Evert Erenst Mangindaan has appreciated the free homecoming program as it can reduce the number of accidents and improve traffic safety on the highways.

"Exceeding quota (free homecoming for motorcycle riders) has shown that public awareness regarding traffic safety is on the rise," he added.

The ministry officially revealed that about 4,937 homebound travelers traveling by motorcycles opted for the bus service from Monas field, Central Jakarta, on Thursday (July 24).

In fact, he pointed out that the Ministry of Transportation has estimated that 4.8 thousand people will join the free homecoming program.

He argued that the free homecoming program for motorcycle riders was part of the governments plan to reduce the number of motorcycle accidents during Lebaran. Moreover, nearly about 70 percent of the accidents involved motorcycle riders.

A total of 4,937 participants of the Homebound Traveling Free Program 2014 were dispatched in 92 buses.
(Uu.A063/INE/KR-BSR/F001)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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