Ensure Sufficient Toll Balances to Avoid Long Queues During Eid Homecoming

Jakarta, 25^th March 2024 – The Ministry of Public Works and Housing (PUPR) has appealed to the public to pay attention to the sufficiency of their toll balances to avoid long queues during the upcoming Eid al-Fitr 1445 Hijriah homecoming and return trips.

"Insufficient balance is a problem from a traffic perspective, because it causes a time gap for transactions (toll payments), whether it's to top up at the available location or borrow a card from the car behind," said Tulus Abadi, a member of the Public Community Element of the Toll Road Regulatory Agency (BPJT) of the PUPR Ministry, in the 9th Merdeka Barat Forum (FMB9) online in Jakarta, Monday.

Tulus emphasized the importance of checking toll balances before traveling, especially for travelers using toll roads. This is an important step to prevent congestion and smooth traffic flow during the homecoming period.

Tulus revealed that experience from the previous year showed that insufficient balance was a serious problem, causing long queues at toll gates.

He cited data from Jasamarga showing that during the previous Christmas and New Year holidays, around 28,000 vehicles had insufficient balance on the toll road from Jakarta to Kalikangkung in Central Java.

Insufficient balance checks cause a time lag in toll payment transactions, which can then lead to further congestion. Therefore, the Ministry of Transportation has appealed to Toll Road Business Entities (BUJT) to provide information to toll road users about the importance of having sufficient balance.

In addition, Tulus also reminded that several toll road sections have experienced tariff increases, such as the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road which has increased from Rp20,000 to Rp27,000 for golongan 1. This adds to the urgency of paying attention to the sufficiency of toll balances, especially considering the increase in tariffs.

According to him, checking sufficient balance is not only important to avoid congestion, but also to ensure the comfort and safety of the trip. By ensuring sufficient balance before the trip, people can reduce wasted time and focus more on their travel destination.

In addition, he said that improvements to facilities around toll gates, including toilets and places of worship, are also being made to ensure the comfort of travelers. With these facilities, travelers can rest properly before continuing their journey.