JAKARTA - A work-from-anywhere (WFA) policy for civil servants and earlier school holidays for students have contributed to an earlier mudik (exodus) ahead of the Eid al-Fitr holiday in 2025, as suggested by data compiled by authorities.
A recent survey by Indonesia’s transportation ministry has estimated that 146.48 million people will make their homebound journeys in 2025, with the peak of mudik flow expected to occur on March 28, or three days before the Eid al-Fitr holiday on March 31.
But authorities began reporting an uptick in traffic over the past weekend.
According to data from state-owned toll road operator PT Jasa Marga, 115,141 vehicles left the Greater Jakarta area on March 21, 10 days before Eid al-Fitr. The figure is 37 per cent higher compared to the same time during the mudik period in 2024.
State railway operator PT KAI has reported a similar trend, as over 174,000 people started embarking on their homebound journeys as of March 22. The figure is 42.4 per cent higher than 2024.
Data from the Transportation Ministry collected over the weekend also revealed widespread increases in various modes of transportation compared to last year.
The most significant rise was seen in the number of cars and train passengers, though ferry passenger numbers also saw a notable increase of 28.3 per cent. This was followed by a 15.3 per cent increase in airplane passengers and a 4.41 per cent rise in bus passengers compared to the previous year.
As of March 23, a total of 2.37 million people had embarked on their homebound journeys, marking an approximately 30 per cent increase compared to the same time in 2024.
Transportation Ministry spokesperson Elba Damhuri attributed the jump to the [government’s nationwide WFA policy for civil servants](https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/indonesias-transport-minister-proposes-work-from-anywhere-ahead-of-nyepi-idul-fitri) and extended holiday period for school students.
“These policies have given a direct impact on making the distribution of the mudik flow more even, as (the public) have started travelling early,” he told The Jakarta Post on March 26.
While the WFA policy is in place only over the course of four days from Monday to Thursday this week, it effectively allowed government workers to start travelling to their hometowns as early as Friday last week. The Eid al-Fitr collective leave period for state workers will last until April 7.
The extended school holiday period, on the other hand, has given students two-and-a-half weeks off, as schools have been shuttered from March 21. An earlier plan was for schools to begin closing on March 24.
To further incentivise holidaymakers, the government has also slashed the price of airfares by 13 to 14 per cent for flights between March 24 and April 7. Toll fee discounts are currently in place and will remain until March 28.
While holidaymakers have begun travelling earlier, the total number of people travelling home is expected to see a drastic decline. The ministry’s estimate of 146 million travellers in 2025 is roughly 80 million people less than in 2024.
Observers have attributed the drop to a bleaker economic outlook amid the government’s austerity measures and an apparent purchasing power crisis that has caused some Indonesians to resort to their savings to survive. THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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