Indonesia to Reintroduce Free Mudik Program, Transport Discounts for Lebaran 2026

The government will again roll out transport fare discounts and a Mudik Gratis (free homecoming travel) program for Lebaran 2026. Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi said the policy reflects the state’s presence in easing the public’s travel costs and helping distribute holiday traffic more evenly.

“We have prepared several measures related to the Lebaran transportation operation, including a joint decree governing the 2026 Lebaran transport arrangements,” Dudy said at an economic stimulus press conference on the 2026 Idul Fitri holiday package—covering transport fare discounts, work-from-anywhere flexibility and food assistance—held at Gambir Station in Jakarta on Tuesday (Feb. 10, 2026).

Dudy said the Transportation Ministry is coordinating with the National Police’s Traffic Corps (Korlantas) and the Public Works Ministry’s Directorate General of Highways. Coordination also covers work-from-anywhere arrangements and broader stimulus measures. On the Mudik Gratis program, Dudy said the ministry has prepared 401 buses serving 34 destination cities across nine provinces, 50,000 economy-class passenger slots for sea transport, and 28,182 seats on Java rail routes along the northern, central and southern corridors.

In line with Mudik Gratis, ramp checks will continue. Dudy said authorities are conducting ramp checks, or roadworthiness inspections, covering transport modes on land, sea, air and rail, as well as supporting infrastructure such as toll roads and national arterial roads.

“We are coordinating this with the Public Works Ministry so that people traveling on both types of roads can do so safely and comfortably,” he said.

Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto, who led the press conference, detailed the Lebaran 2026 transport discount stimulus. He said domestic economy-class airfares will be discounted by 17–18 percent for flights during March 14–29, 2026, targeting 3.3 million passengers. For sea crossings, port service charges for ferry transport will be discounted by 100 percent from March 12–31, 2026, targeting 945,000 vehicles and 2.4 million passengers.

In addition, passenger ships will receive a 30 percent discount off the base fare from March 11 to April 5, 2026, targeting 445,000 passengers. For rail travel, a 30 percent discount will apply from March 14–29, 2026, with a target of 1.2 million passengers.

“This year, in connection with national public holidays, the government is providing an economic stimulus in the form of transport discounts. The total budget is Rp 911.16 billion, sourced from the state budget and non-state funding,” Airlangga said.

To support mobility and make it easier for people to plan trips, Airlangga added that the government will provide flexible workday arrangements for civil servants and private-sector workers during the Idul Fitri holiday period on March 16, 17, 25, 26 and 27.

Airlangga said the previous Idul Fitri period, along with the year-end Christmas and New Year holidays, had proven to boost mobility and tourism activity, helping push economic growth in the fourth quarter to 5.39 percent.

“During the Idul Fitri 2025 period, mobility reached 154.62 million people, while the Christmas and New Year holiday period reached 110.43 million people. Year on year in 2025 it was 5.11 percent, and in December foreign tourist arrivals were 1.41 million while domestic tourist trips reached 105.98 million,” Airlangga said.

Indonesianpost.com | Republika