REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Vice President Jusuf Kalla saw off the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) entourage of volunteer teams in the face of Eid al-Fitr 2018 at the Gambir Station parking area, Jakarta, on Thursday. He thanked the the volunteers for facilitating the Eid al-Fitr's homecoming this year.

"We must offer good travel guidance along with health and food and beverage services on the field, and keep everything running normally," he stated here on Thursday.

Vice President Kalla, who also serves as chairman of the PMI, expressed hope that this year's Eid al-Fitr activities would not face difficulties in the form of severe congestion at the Brebes Exit in 2016.

"We experienced the worst traffic jam or even traffic accidents during homecoming two years ago. Based on the existing data, accidents during the Eid al-Fitr homecoming across Indonesia can lead to the deaths of more than 500 people," he explained.

The volunteer team for Eid al-Fitr comprises 80 PMI ambulance crew, 120 volunteer workers from PMI, and 200 students of Higher Education of the Ministry of Transportation.

Hundreds of volunteers will be deployed at 586 first-aid posts, with 393 ambulances as well as 8,422 physician volunteers and medical staff on standby.

Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) volunteers attend a ceremony to the face of Eid al-Fitr 2018 at the Gambir Station parking area, Jakarta, on Thursday.

All members of the volunteer team started work on Friday (June 8) until seven days after Eid al-Fitr along the northern coastal route, bus terminals, railway stations, ports, and tourist areas.

The worst gridlock took place during the exodus on the Pejagan-Pemalang toll road in Java in 2016 because the construction of the turnpikes had not finished then.

The main point of the traffic jam was the Brebes toll exit (Brexit) because the remaining section of the toll road was not finished.

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