Aidilfitri: Public transport, the popular choice for balik kampung travel

KUALA LUMPUR - With two days left, the atmosphere of celebrating Aidilfitri is becoming more and more evident, especially at public transport terminals where many take the opportunity to return home for Hari Raya using public transport such as buses and trains.

Even though some people choose to drive their own vehicles, to take advantage of the toll-free offer today and tomorrow, public transport remains an option for those who want peace from the hustle and bustle of traffic on the highway.

A Bernama survey in KL Sentral found that the place was a bit crowded as many locals used the public transport to go home from the festival early this morning.

A trader Suriati Ibrahim, 47, said she and her three children were very excited to celebrate the festival by booking train tickets from Kuala Lumpur to Batu Gajah, Perak since last month.

"We bought early because we were worried about tickets running out since there are five of us including my sister-in-law.

"We use ETS (Electric Train Service) because it saves more time as we don't travel through traffic jams," she said.

Sharing her view was videographer Muhammad Rashid Dany Abdullah, 24, chose to book a ticket a week earlier to return home for a week's celebration in Gemas, Negeri Sembilan.

"Alhamdulillah, it's easy to get a train ticket because you buy it online, you don't have to queue. Otherwise I have to ride a motorcycle to go home," he said.

Two university students in Perak, Syarifah Musliha and Noor Aliah Sailin, who are both 21 years old, chose public transport provided by the university to celebrate the festival.

"We took the ETS from Perak to KL Sentral and after that we have to catch a plane to return to Tawau and Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. There is no problem of buying a ticket because you can claim a free flight ticket," she said.

Meanwhile, the two Indonesians who were met here also did not miss the opportunity to experience the festival atmosphere in Malaysia and will be here for four days because they want to experience the festive atmosphere in this country.

"We just arrived in Malaysia. I will celebrate here with friends. All Raya preparations are ready," she said. - BERNAMA