‘Balik kampung’ rush begins at Kuala Lumpur transport hubs as travellers try to beat Aidiladha crowds

“KUALA LUMPUR, May 22 — Major public transport terminals around the capital are seeing a surge in travellers heading back to their hometowns ahead of the long holiday and upcoming Hari Raya Aidiladha celebration. A Bernama survey found increasing crowds at key terminals, including Terminal Bersepadu Gombak (TBG), Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS) and KL Sentral, as passengers began making early travel preparations to avoid last-minute congestion. A TBG representative, Mohd Raimi Jusoh, said ticket sales for the festive season opened two months ago to give passengers more time to plan their journeys. He said daily ticket sales at TBG, which usually average about 1,000, have surged to around 7,000 during the long holiday and Aidiladha period. “There has been a sharp increase in ticket sales and bus trips as Aidiladha coincides with the long school holidays. “TBG is widely known as a gateway to the East Coast, with 70 to 80 per cent of bus operations serving destinations there, although the terminal also caters to other routes,” he told Bernama today. To cope with the increased demand, Mohd Raimi said daily bus trips had been raised to between 200 and 210 from about 150 on normal days, following approval from the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD). He said the two-week school holidays had also allowed travellers to spread out their journeys and avoid the usual last-minute rush seen during festive periods. TBG management has also provided 14 special buses in collaboration with several boarding schools in Pahang, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan to facilitate students’ travel. Meanwhile, passenger Muhammad Aiman Nor Hakim, 25, said he purchased his ticket two weeks earlier through a bus booking application to avoid ticket shortages and higher fares. “I live in Setapak and will return to Bachok, Kelantan for Aidiladha with my family. Booking early is cheaper because ticket prices usually increase closer to the festive season,” said the first-time TBG bus user. Meanwhile, TMAS Sdn Bhd, the operator of TBS, said ticket sales at the terminal began rising since May 22 and are expected to remain high until June 7. A company representative, who declined to be named, said about 50 additional buses had been deployed for various destinations based on routes approved by APAD. “Overall, ticket sales have increased by about 20 per cent compared with last year’s festive season, driven by Aidiladha and the school holidays,” she said. The company has also carried out system upgrades, scheduled maintenance and increased manpower to ensure smooth operations during the peak travel period. At KL Sentral, many electric train service (ETS) passengers were also seen booking tickets early for their journeys home. Passenger Zanariyah Awang, 60, hoped transport operators would add more train coaches to accommodate the increase in travellers during the festive season. — Bernama

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