Road Between Cities

We leave from Poris Bus Station in Tangerang, Banten, on a bus operated by a PO. “PO” stands for Perusahaan Otobus—a bus company. There are plenty of options, each offering different amenities, routes, and levels of comfort. For our destination, there are names like Laju Prima, Sinar Jaya, Agra Mas, Harapan Jaya, Semeru, and others.

The easiest way to get a ticket is through the RedBus app. But later, I found out there's a more "local" method—contacting an agent directly through WhatsApp, asking about the schedule and availability, transferring the payment, and receiving the ticket as a PDF. Though, that PDF isn’t the real ticket. More on that later.

For the return trip, I also used RedBus. Another rookie mistake. This time, I would try the sleeper bus—for the sake of experience, or so I hoped. A sleeper bus doesn’t offer a seat, but a narrow bed. It's supposed to be more comfortable. Supposed to be.

The Departure

Being my first time, I arrived early—4:00 AM for a 4:50 AM departure. I was worried I might miss the bus or not find the correct one. Little did I know, schedules here are suggestions, not promises. Everything is still paper-based, and the system is far from digital. The first rule of traveling by intercity bus? Lower your expectations. Toilets? So-so. Hospitality? Sometimes. Punctuality? Don’t count on it.

By chance, I ran into a friend who was also traveling—he was heading to Yogyakarta with the same bus company, but with a different bus. He explained that I had to go to the PO’s counter and ask for a real ticket. Every PO has its own counter, usually managed by one person. That person is, most of the time, late.

The bus ticket agent

After over an hour of waiting, the bus finally arrived. There's no digital notification. Just someone shouting your name. Since one PO might have multiple buses arriving at once, your identifier is the number on the left door of the bus. Pay close attention to that. As you can see, mine is "SR 005". Good luck to you I hope you get a better handwritten style.

The Return

Having learned from my mistakes, I found out that if your destination is in Karanganyar, you can go through other nearby bus stations—Matesih, Bejen, or Karang Pandan. The price difference is small.

So, I headed to Bejen in hopes of catching the same Agra Mas sleeper bus, even though my ticket officially departed from Solo. But it turns out the sleeper bus doesn’t stop in Bejen. I had to take another local bus to Tirtonadi and pay Rp 20,000—unofficially.

The sleeper bus turns out to be far from extraordinary. It isn’t bad, but it’s not the upgrade one might imagine. If all you’re looking for is something slightly better than a regular economy bus, then it does its job. The key is to keep your expectations grounded. Thankfully, at least in this case, the bus arrived more or less on time.

The Industry

This industry is hard as steel. Everyone involved is tough, and they have to be. The driver and co-driver work grueling shifts—10 to 12 hours behind the wheel, often without proper sleep. Smoking is almost inevitable.

A friend once told me he chooses Agra Mas because the bus is designed with a partition that separates the driver's cabin from the passenger area. At least that way, the smoke stays up front.

But beyond comfort, there’s a quiet tragedy to this life. I often imagine the children of these drivers—living without a steady presence from their fathers. Maybe they see him once in a while, when the bus route coincidentally passes near their home. Maybe they hug him for a moment—just long enough to pass a warm meal through the window. Then the engine roars again.

This is the cost of movement. While we, the passengers, chase destinations and experiences, they keep the wheels turning. Not for fun. But for survival.