Garuda Mas

Garuda Mas was founded by Sanoesi Karjadidjaja in 1972. Previously, Sanoesi worked for a private bus operator in Jakarta, Sukabumi Motor Supply (SMS). When the city bus management in Jakarta was taken over by PPD, Sanoesi moved to Cirebon and established a transportation business there. ^[1] The name Garuda Mas was chosen because Sanoesi has a strong sense of patriotism and Indonesian nationalism, with the Indonesian national symbol as a representation of pride in Indonesia, which then became a distinctive characteristic for this company.^[1][2]

Garuda Mas debuted with a simple inaugural route: intercity within the province West Java, Cirebon–Majalengka. Over time, Garuda Mas expanded its services to more strategic routes, such as from Jabodetabek to various cities in Central Java. Before operating the Purwodadi route, Garuda Mas operated the Jakarta–Kudus–Pati–Jepara route.^[1][3]

Garuda Mas began operating routes to Purwodadi to accommodate the needs of passengers heading to Demak or Semarang, due to considerations of the limited bus fleet which at that time was only served by Perum DAMRI.^[2] This made its presence increasingly widely known by people in various regions of Java. This expansion makes Garuda Mas known not only in its home region, but also as an operator that plays an important role on the route.^[1][2][3]

Garuda Mas's development is inseparable from the strategy and management continued by the second generation, especially by Barmawi who led the operational division in Jakarta, while Benyamin Darmawan managed the operations in Cirebon. Around 2007, management consolidated by moving the operational center for wider routes to Jakarta to make the growth strategy and fleet scheduling more efficient and centralized. This transformation helps Garuda Mas remain competitive amidst competition from other bus companies on the Pantura route and the eastern Java route.^[3][4]

Garuda Mas manages a fleet of more than 140 buses using various types of chassis and bodywork.^[1] Garuda Mas relies on two vehicle manufacturers, namely Mercedes-Benz (OH 1626,^[5] OH 1836,^[6] and O 500 RSD 2445^[7]) and Hino (RK 280 Euro 4).^[8] These chassis offer comfort with air suspension and a space frame to allow for ample luggage space. Garuda Mas is the first user of the Mercedes-Benz O 500 RSD 2445 chassis in Indonesia for its double-decker buses.^[7]

Garuda Mas is a generational collector of Adi Putro Jetbuses. These include double-decker bus using the Jetbus3+ SDD model which was released in 2018^[9] and sleeper class buses with the Jetbus5 Dream Coach body which was released at the end of 2024.^[10] In addition to Jetbus, Garuda Mas also uses the Laksana Legacy body with various variants.^[11]

Garuda Mas is known for offering a variety of service classes, ranging from economy, business, VIP, executive, to super executive, providing passengers with a choice of comfort based on their budget. This bus company has gained public attention due to its strong fan and passenger community. ^[12]

Garuda Mas is easily recognizable by its bus's dominant base color, ocean blue with a play of yellow, orange, green, and white stripes. The meaning of the Garuda bird, as a distinctive feature depicted on the bus fleet, is inspired by the national symbol and the nationalism of its founders. The image displayed to represent the Garuda bird is an eagle.^[4]

Since its inception, PO Garuda Mas has focused its entire business line on intercity and interprovincial bus (AKAP) services. Garuda Mas's main routes besides the destinations Purwodadi, Grobogan, Grobogan Regency, Central Java^[13] including the destinations Blora District, Blora Regency, Central Java^[14] to Seloaji Terminal, Ponorogo Regency, East Java, from passenger pick-up points or bus terminals in the Jabodetabek area. In its development, these routes became the backbone of the company's operations and formed a strong customer base, especially for passengers who regularly travel to and from the central region of Java Island. ^[15]

In 2022, together with Laju Prima and Murni Jaya, Garuda Mas received an award from Hino Motors Indonesia for achieving one million kilometers through empowering its bus fleets using Hino chassis.^[16]