Letter of Consent from Mother, 12-Year-Old Child Travels Alone from Solo to Jakarta: Take Care of My Child

Dream - Usually, underage children always travel to other cities with their parents. Children indeed need to be protected for their safety, as at that age they cannot take care of themselves.

No wonder parents are reluctant to let their children go alone for fear of getting lost. However, it is different with this 12-year-old child's story. He took the train from Solo to Jakarta alone, without accompanied by his family.

The child named Gusti Muhammad only carried a piece of paper entrusted by his mother containing a message to the train officer to take care of her child.

"To the esteemed conductor of Mahana Train, Solo-Jakarta, June 24, 2023. Please take care of my child named Gusti Muhammad," wrote the mother in the letter.

Upon arriving at the station, the child handed the letter to the officer.

Since he didn't have a guardian, Gusti Muhammad was continuously supervised until he arrived safely in Jakarta.

He was also picked up by his sister at Gambir Station to go home.

"At Gambir Station, he will be picked up by his sister Dita. Thank you, Solo, June 24, 2023. Mama Gusti (bu Ifah)," the letter stated.

The post shared by the Twitter account @sahabat_kereta immediately went viral. Various comments flooded the post.

"The younger sibling is so brave, with parental support. Their mentality is commendable," wrote @5dollarbuatjajan.

"Grateful for the child of today. In the past, train stations were not as safe and comfortable as they are now," wrote @malangtramway.

Regarding the viral child, Franoto Wibowo, the Public Relations Manager of PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) Daop 6 Yogyakarta, confirmed that a 12-year-old passenger traveled alone by train.

"When the train departed from Solo, the child showed the letter from his mother to the train conductor," he said, as quoted from liputan6.com.

He said the conductor continued to watch over the child until he arrived safely at his destination. As for the minimum age for a child to travel by train, Franoto stated that PT KAI does not set a minimum age limit for child passengers.

"PT KAI has not set a minimum age for child passengers, but for the safety and comfort of all, we encourage child passengers to be accompanied by adults," he added.

Report: Nur Rahma

At what age are you brave enough to travel alone by train? 😄

Photo: @/masaguscepot Kota Solo via Facebook pic.twitter.com/f7fPW9vVyU

— Komunitas Sahabat Kereta (@sahabat_kereta) June 24, 2023