TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - State-owned bus company DAMRI is preparing hundreds of buses for the free Eid homecoming program during the 2025 Eid al-Fitr 1446 Hijri. This year, DAMRI is offering a larger quota for free homecoming, accommodating more travelers than in previous years.

Head of Corporate Communication at DAMRI, Atikah Abdullah, stated that the company will deploy 300 buses for this year's free homecoming program. "For a total of 14,400 travelers," Atikah said in a written statement on Friday, March 7, 2025.

Atikah mentioned that the 300 buses this year represent an increase compared to the previous Eid al-Fitr period. In 2024, DAMRI used 238 bus units to serve the travelers in the free homecoming program.

"It was noted that in 2024, DAMRI successfully transported 11,424 travelers to their destinations with 238 fleet units deployed," she said.

Atikah mentioned that DAMRI estimates a 26 percent increase in the number of travelers participating in their free homecoming program this year. The figure is equivalent to an additional 2,076 passengers and 62 bus units.

This year, a total of 78 state-owned enterprises (SOEs) will participate in organizing the free Eid homecoming program. The Ministry of SOEs targets that there will be 100,000 travelers who can participate in the program.

Three modes of transportation for 67,000 travelers available

The free homecoming program offers three modes of transportation, namely buses, trains, and ships. The bus transportation mode provides 1,360 vehicle units for free homecoming, with a capacity of 67,000 travelers.

Meanwhile, there are 90 train sets with a capacity of 28,000 travelers and 26 ships with a capacity of 5,000 travelers that will also facilitate the free homecoming in 2025.

Registration for prospective passengers for the free homecoming program is open from March 3 to March 17, 2025. The Ministry of SOEs also announced the departure schedule for each type of transportation for the free homecoming in 2025. Bus transportation will depart on March 27, 2025; trains will depart from March 25 to 28, 2025; and ships will depart on March 28, 2025.

The government has announced the schedule of national holidays and joint leave for the 2025 Eid al-Fitr through a Joint Decree signed by the Minister of Religious Affairs, the Minister of Manpower, and the Minister of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform on October 14, 2024. The decree sets 17 national holidays and 10 joint leaves for 2025.

According to the Hijri calendar from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the month of Ramadan 1446 Hijri began on March 1, 2025. Meanwhile, the Eid al-Fitr holiday falls on March 31 and April 1, 2025. The four-day joint leave interspersed with weekends then follows on April 2-7, 2025.

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