THE first day of the interstate travel resumption nationwide is smoothly running on major highways in the country, but this can be attributed to it being a working day for most of the population.

The traffic flow can be viewed on closed-circuit television camera footage on the Jalannow.com portal, while checks by Bernama at major bus terminals in the states also found it to be quiet.

At the Hentian Duta Bus Terminal in Kuala Lumpur, counter staff Norhanna Mohd Rapi said ticket bookings and sales are still not encouraging, but added that she expects the situation to change this weekend and the next.

“We expect ticket sales to start increasing only on this weekend or from next week, as people are still working and have not made any preparation, such as applying for leave and so on.”

Siti Samirah Sundar Nandagopal, 40, a security guard at a private company, said she will be using this opportunity to see her family in Sitiawan, Perak.

“I am happy that after waiting for more than eight months, I am here to buy a ticket to return to my hometown on Saturday to meet my family face to face, because all this time, I have been in touch with them only through phone calls,” she said, when met at the bus terminal.

In Selangor, a similar situation was encountered at Terminal 17 in Shah Alam and Terminal A Klang Sentral in Klang.

Ticket sales manager Mohd Muzammil Mohd Alias ​​said he expects slow sales of bus tickets this week as people are still working.

In Penang, Rusliana Mohd Pirus, a bus ticket counter staff in Butterworth, said she has started accepting express bus ticket bookings. She, too, expects ticket sales to increase by up to 50% this weekend.

“Most bookings are for travel to east coast states. I understand that some express bus operators will also increase the number of buses from this weekend to accommodate the increasing number of passengers.”

In Melaka, state deputy police chief Razali Abu Samah said police expect the number of vehicles entering the state to increase to between 35,000 and 45,000 a day by this weekend, compared with the current 19,000 a day.

Police will continue to monitor tourist hotspots to ensure the community complies with standard operating procedures, he added.

In Kelantan, state Fire and Rescue Department assistant operations director Mohd Wildan Azhari said the number of visitors to recreational areas is expected to increase, following the lifting of the interstate travel ban from today.

In Terengganu, a survey at crowded locations such as the Batu Buruk Beach and Recreation Park, Kuala Terengganu City Centre Mall and Pasar Payang found no significant increase in visitors.

Pasar Payang food trader Nor Azmah Ngah, 53, said the crowd is still under control, despite there being more visitors than usual.

Batik and silk trader Norlela Asyikin Mohd Azhari, 37, said she expects a busy weekend as people start to return to their hometowns.

Meanwhile, homestay operator Ahmad Faisal Hafiz Mansor said bookings are already full for the next two weeks.

In Johor, Larkin Sentral is expected to receive 3,000 passengers a day by this weekend, following the lifting of the interstate travel ban from today.

Building manager Mohd Helmi Mohd Affendi said the number of express bus passengers this weekend is expected to increase to 3,000 a day compared with about 80 a day previously.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced that the government has agreed to allow fully inoculated individuals to travel to other states without having to obtain police permission.

He said the decision was made after the rate of fully vaccinated adults hit 90% nationwide. – Bernama, October 11, 2021.