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The number of people using ferries to travel during the year-end holidays is expected to increase despite the recent spate of ferry accidents, a Transportation Ministry official said on Friday.

Suroyo Alimoeso, director general of road transportation at the ministry, said the number of ferry passengers over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays was expected to reach more than 1.5 million.

“This is a 15 percent increase on the 1.3 million people who used ferries to travel during last year’s holiday season,” he said, adding that the ministry had prepared 119 ferries with a total capacity to carry 9.6 million people over the period.

Suroyo said the busiest routes would be between Merak, Banten, and Bakaheuni, Lampung; Lembar, Lombok, and Padangbai eastern Bali; and Ketapang, East Java, and Gilimanuk in western Bali.

The ministry, he said, would coordinate with the Ministry of Public Works and National Police to monitor the flow of passengers traveling on ferries from Dec. 23 to Jan. 4.

The ministry would also monitor weather conditions across the country, Suroyo said.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), he said, should collaborate with seaport officials to urge ship captains and port administrators not to operate in bad weather.

Last month, the Dumai Express 10 sank in rough seas off Karimun Island in Riau Islands shortly after its sister ship, the Dumai Express 15, ran aground.

Forty people died from the 295 passengers aboard the Dumai Express 10. None of the 278 passengers from the Dumai Express 15 were killed.

Meanwhile, the number of people using buses to travel across the country during the holiday season is also expected to increase, the head of the Transport Ministry’s road traffic division has said.

Hotma Simanjuntak said that the number of bus passengers should increase to 2.3 million from 2.1 million last year.

“We focus on passengers’ comfort, in addition to safety,” he said.

Hotma said that after this year’s Idul Fitri holiday in September, the ministry had punished 32 bus operators for violating transportation regulations.

“Those who violated the rules are prohibited from operating,” he said, “and some of their buses were suspended for varying lengths of time.”

Most of the operators that were reprimanded had violated the price ceiling, charging their passengers more than the limit set by the ministry. Their buses were suspended for up to five weeks starting from Nov. 9.

Hotma said that one operator, Warga Baru, which serves the route linking Jakarta and the East Java capital of Surabaya, had its buses suspended for 13 weeks. The company was also prohibited from operating for 13 months.

“We hope the operators will comply with the regulations this time,” Hotma added.