VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

A passenger passes by a train. ( ANTARA/HO-PT Kereta Api Indonesia/uyu) - 

State-owned train operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) served 146,634 long-distance train customers, or an average of 48,878 customers per day during the 2021 Christmas holiday period on December 24-26, 2021.

"The number reached 60 percent of the passenger capacity provided or 242,466 seats," the company’s Vice President of Public Relations, Joni Martinus, said in a statement here on Monday.

Martinus remarked that most passengers were recorded on the Jakarta - Cirebon, Jakarta - Purwokerto, Yogyakarta - Purwokerto, and Surabaya - Madiun shuttle routes.

He emphasized that KAI had consistently implemented strict health protocols to curb the transmission of COVID-19 in modes of transportation by limiting the passenger capacity to a maximum of 80 percent of the total seats.

“Furthermore, we ensure that only customers that have met the requirements are allowed to ride by train amid the 2021 Christmas and 2022 New Year holiday period in accordance with government regulations,” KAI’s vice president stated.

Meanwhile, 10,432 customers were unable to embark on trips during the 2021 Christmas holiday period due to various reasons.

Some 2,115 customers had not received the first and second vaccination doses; 5,373 customers under 12 years of age had not brought along the PCR test results; 36 customers were sick; while 2,908 others did not have the antigen test results.

“According to the Transportation Ministry's Circular Letter Number 112 of 2021, from December 24, 2021, to January 2, 2022, prospective customers over the age of 17 years should have complete vaccination, while children under 12 years of age must bring negative results of the PCR test taken within 72 hours," Martinus explained.

Meanwhile, for the 2022 New Year holiday period, 154,154 long-distance train tickets were booked, or an average of 17,128 tickets each day. The number is still below 30 percent of the provided capacity, which is 658,670 seats.

However, the corporation’s vice president projects the figure to still increase, as ticket sales are still ongoing//ANT