Motorcycles still the Preferred Transport Mode for Homebound Trips

Motorcycles are still one of the preferred transport modes for homebound trips. Motorcycles are considered more practical and fuel-efficient as well as more agile in zapping through congested traffic during the homebound season.

According to data from the Transportation Ministry, in Eidal-Fitr2017 season, the roads saw 5.14 million motorcycles. This number was higher than that of other vehicle types. The number might increase again this year.

However, the government expected the motorcycle-riding homebound travelers to use other, more convenient modes of transport. That’s why the government devised various free programs for these travelers.

Free Train Ride for Motorcycles (Motis) program, for instance, offered to motorcycle drivers to use trains that can carry 18,096 motorcycles in total. The registration for this program has been opened online since February 9 at mudikgratis.dephub.go.id.

"With this Motis program, we hope that people who still use motorcycles for homebound trips will be willing to switch to services provided by the government," The Transportation Ministry Train Director General Zulfikri said, as quoted by Bisnis Indonesia on Monday (February 12).

The program is held for homebound trips for six days from June 8-13, 2018 and for the returning trips for 7 days from June 19-25, 2018. The service is available for three routes: the North Route from Jakarta Gudang Station to Surabaya Pasarturi Station, the South Route I from Gudang Station to Kutoarjo Station, and the South Route II to Blitar Station.

The government also offers free homebound program for motorcycle drivers using ships. The program is meant to help travelers reach their hometowns without getting too tired fromriding all the way from Jakarta.

The ships will leave from Tanjung Priok to Tanjung Emas in Semarang for homebound trips from June 9-13, 2018. The return trips will be from June 18-22, 2018.

With these programs, people can still bring their motorcycles to their hometowns. These motorcycles are still needed for transportation when visiting relatives or spending the holiday.

On the other hand, the programs are part of the effort to realize transportation that is secure, convenient, and safe, especially for motorcycle riders, during Eid al-Fitr.

There is still a high demand for motorcycles. Indonesians now still prefer riding motorcycles for various activities, including homebound trips and Eid al-Fitr holiday.

Moreover, many places in the provinces are more accessible using small vehicles. Not to mention that many places are not yet reachable with public transportation.

This reason drives the demand for motorcycles as Eid al-Fitr approaches. Realizing this demand, PT Serasi Autoraya (SERA) through its subsidiary, IBID-Balai Lelang Serasi, offers an option of purchasing various vehicles, including motorcycles, with more affordable prices.

Through IBID, people can buy cars, motorcycles, or gadgets through auction. Anyone can join the auction to buy in units or in bulk.

It is also very easy to participate in an auction in IBID. Potential buyer only needs to register and, to get an Auction Participant Number, deposit Rp1 million for motorcycles, Rp5 million for cars, and Rp100,000 for gadgets.

If a buyer wins a bid, s/he only needs to pay the agreed price minus the deposit. But if s/he loses, the deposit will be returned in full.

Through auction, it is hoped that people can have an option to purchase vehicles with affordable prices, either to fulfill the need for daily transportation or for this year's homebound trips.