Illegal Travel Services Play Cat and Mouse to Defy ‘ Mudik’ Ban

Despite the travel ban, many people are still trying to go on mudik using a number of tricks in order to escape the police’s checkpoints.

Kompas/Priyombodo

The travelers who are unauthorized travel passengers get off their vehicles at Polda Metro Jaya, Jakarta, Thursday (29/4/2021). A total of 115 illegal travel vehicles were caught in operation for two days, 27-28 May 2021. Illegal travel with destinations in West Java, Central Java, East Java and Lampung was stopped at a number of checkpoints on toll roads, arterial roads and mouse lanes.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The crackdown carried out by the Jakarta Police on 115 vehicles that were used as "illegal travel services" in the last two days indicated that many residents were still trying to go on mudik (exodus) despite the ban.

Vehicles carrying passengers who planned to go to their hometowns to celebrate Idul Fitri were seized on Tuesday during Operation Ketupat, a security operation held annually during Ramadan and the Idul Fitri holiday. Some of the vehicles used black license plates (private vehicles) some others had yellow license plates (public vehicles), but operated outside their designated routes. A number of the vehicles were seized during a traffic inspection at a number of locations on arterial roads, toll roads and jalan tikus (alleyways).