The school holiday season has sparked a surge in activity at the Pulo Gebang Integrated Terminal in Cakung, East Jakarta. Thousands of passengers are seizing the holiday momentum to return to their hometowns or travel to various destinations via intercity (AKAP) buses.

Since late June, Southeast Asia’s largest terminal has been teeming with travelers. Suitcases, oversized bags, and cardboard boxes have become the quintessential sight of the holiday rush.

Pulo Gebang Terminal Management Unit Head, Cristianto, stated the passenger spike kicked off on Friday (6/26), right as school report cards were handed out and the holidays began.

"We’ve recorded a 10 percent uptick in passengers since the holidays started. Many are seizing this time to return to their hometowns or embark on getaways to different areas," he expressed, Monday (7/6).

Breaking down the numbers, Friday (7/3) saw a peak of 3,584 departures on 451 intercity buses, alongside 2,182 arrivals. By Saturday (7/4), the terminal logged another 2,875 departing passengers on 421 buses, while 2,024 travelers arrived via a fleet of 403 buses.

Another surge occurred on Sunday (7/5), with 3,010 passengers departing on 439 vehicles and 2,364 passengers arriving on 428 buses.

As of 7 AM today, the terminal has already recorded 1,417 arrivals on 238 buses, while departures remain low with just 18 passengers across three vehicles.

"We expect these numbers to climb well into the night as travel demand picks up,” he noted.

Among the holiday travelers was 45-year-old Aisyah, headed to Purwokerto. She mentioned, her trip had been on hold until her child’s school enrollment was officially finalized.

"We spent last week busy with school enrollment and shopping for the kids. Now that all the preparations are done, we’re making the most of the break to go home and spend some quality time with the family,” she shared.