Primajasa

Primajasa was founded on September 6, 1991, and initially operated as a tourist bus service with an initial capital of 50 buses. The company was founded by Amir Mahpud, the fourth son of Engkud Mahpud, the founder of PT Mayasari Bakti. With this background, Primajasa became part of the Mayasari Group. From the start, Amir was prepared to manage Primajasa independently under the direct direction and supervision of his father.^[1]

Primajasa's development was quite rapid. In less than two years of operation, in early 1993, the bus fleet increased dramatically to around 250 units. In addition to serving tourist buses, Primajasa began expanding into intercity bus services (AKAP) with its inaugural route from Bogor to Tangerang. This expansion marks the company's serious move into the public transportation industry.^[2][1]

Primajasa's business isn't just limited to bus services; it's also expanding into other transportation sectors. During the initial development period, the company prepared approximately 100 taxis for operation. This diversification step demonstrates Amir Mahpud's long-term vision of building an integrated and sustainable land transportation company.^[1]

During the early development of Primajasa, Amir Mahpud was still active as a professional car racer. He was known as a racer in the International Formula 3000 class and had to compete with famous racers such as Tommy Soeharto and Tinton Soeprapto. When the Indonesian Formula 3000 Grand Prix was held at the Sentul International Circuit in the 1993 season, Primajasa appeared as a sponsor for Amir. Amir himself completed eight laps and finished in 15th place, while his two competitors failed to finish due to engine failure.^[3][4]

Primajasa's success is inseparable from Amir's management philosophy, which combines the discipline of the racing world with business professionalism. He emphasized that the transportation land business carries a high level of risk and thus requires significant responsibility from all levels of management and operational staff. The company's primary focus is maintaining public trust through consistent service, humble bus crew behavior, and adhering to the principles of safety and integrity.^[1]

Entering 1996, Primajasa again planned expansion by opening an executive bus route from Lebak Bulus–Bandung, scheduled to begin operations in September or October. During this period, Primajasa was supported by a fleet of approximately 400 buses serving 14 pioneer routes in the Jabotabek and West Java areas. The route development strategy was carefully implemented to avoid direct competition with other bus companies. In addition to focusing on developing intercity bus transportation, such as the Jakarta-Merak route, this company also plans to expand into other land transportation sectors by increasing its taxis fleet to 300 units.^[5]

In 2001, Primajasa's route network expanded even further. The routes served cover various cities and regions in West Java, Banten, and Jabodetabek to various major terminals in Jakarta. Primajasa also made a breakthrough by providing pick-up points outside the terminals, such as bus garage, airport, port, shopping center, and residential areas. Over time, Primajasa has grown into a large transportation group with a total fleet of around 1,000 units, including buses, taxis, and logistics services.^[2]

Primajasa is a bus company which was also one of the Transjakarta fleet operators in the 2009–2016 period, when the BRT system used a number of buses owned by private operators to serve the Transjakarta route including certain corridors. Primajasa operates Transjakarta Corridor 8 together with Lorena.^[6] However, entering 2016, the working relationship between Transjakarta and Primajasa ended abruptly when Transjakarta terminated the operating contract with Primajasa, which according to Primajasa could still be extended until 2017 according to the original contract and the addendum that had been signed. The contract termination sparked disappointment from Primajasa, which stated it would pursue legal action, claiming it had been wronged and felt it had been treated unfairly by Transjakarta. After leaving Transjakarta, the Primajasa buses previously used for Transjakarta were either parked or converted for other purposes. Throughout the partnership, Primajasa has been one of several operators helping Transjakarta operate the integrated bus service in Jakarta. ^[7]

Despite experiencing difficult times during the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia, which resulted in a month-long operational shutdown and losses reaching Rp 45 billion, Primajasa remains committed to not laying off employees. To this day, Primajasa remains part of the Mayasari Group, with Amir Mahpud—familiarly known as Haji Aming—serving as the company's President Director. Amir is also known for his active political activities, serving on the Advisory Board of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) Central Executive Board.^[2]

Primajasa is known for having a fleet that is constantly updated and tailored to the needs of intercity bus and tour bus services. Primajasa consistently uses Hino Motors chassis, relying on RK Turbo, RG1JN, RK8 JSKA-NHJ R260, RM 280 ABS, and RK 280 ABS chassis, purchased directly from PT Hino Motors Sales Indonesia to strengthen its intercity and tour bus operations. This chassis is equipped with features such as air suspension, anti-lock brake system, and a space frame chassis especially on the RM 280 model for comfort, safety, and operational efficiency.^[8]

In terms of body coachwork, Primajasa frequently collaborates with Karoseri Tentrem for its bus bodies. Several newer units released use Tentrem bodies, such as the Avante H7 series or the Avante HDD modifications on some older units. Tentrem also allows body shape customization according to PO requests for large orders, and before the Avante, Primajasa had used Tentrem bodies such as the Galaxy and Scorpion X. ^[9]

In addition to the Tentrem body, this PO also uses an in-house bodywork from the Mayasari Group, Mayasari Utama, along with other Mayasari Group members. The bus body is made to resemble Travego and is supported using an RK Turbo chassis.^[10] In fact, Primajasa also has a collection of Rahayu Santosa bus bodies, for example Ecoline.^[11] Along with other POs in the Mayasari Group, Primajasa is one of the few Indonesian bus companies that has never used buses made by the Adi Putro bodywork company, along with Anas Nasional Sejahtera (ANS), Arimbi/Bima Suci, Borlindo, Sumber Alam, and Tentrem.^[12]

PO Primajasa is a bus company with a primary business line of intercity and interprovincial buses (AKAP), primarily in the Greater Jakarta (Jabodetabek), West Java, and Banten areas. Since its inception in 1991, Primajasa started with the first route Bogor–Tangerang via Jakarta and then expanded the AKAP route network to important cities such as Bandung, Tasikmalaya, and Garut, as well as a number of other routes outside West Java as the company grew. Primajasa's strategy is to work on short and medium routes that are often in demand by the public, which makes it the transportation of choice for passengers who want to travel between cities without going too far and still comfortably. ^[13]

In an effort to expand services and meet the dynamic needs of intercity transportation, in November 2025, Primajasa launched a new route between Kalideres (West Jakarta) and Kuningan (West Java) using air-conditioned economy class buses with comfortable seat configurations. This route is designed to connect the two regions with regular departure schedules and economical ticket prices, as well as facilities that support travel comfort such as a USB port for passengers. With this new service, Primajasa strengthens its presence on intercity routes frequently used by migrant workers and general passengers, while also providing a more comfortable and affordable land transportation option for the public. ^[14]

RedWhite Star is a Primajasa brand that operates in the public transportation segment on both routes and non-routes, such as tourist buses, shuttle buses, and executive-class airport buses connecting various strategic points in the Greater Jakarta, Banten, and West Java regions, including popular routes such as Bandung–Jakarta, Bandung–Soekarno-Hatta Airport, and Bandung–Cirebon. It operates a modern fleet, including the Toyota HiAce, designed for passenger comfort and reliability. The fleet is equipped with standard facilities such as air conditioning, captain seat style seats, USB ports, and free drinking water. ^[15][16][17]

In addition to airport buses and shuttles, RedWhite Star is also known as a tourist bus division that offers a large-capacity bus fleet for tourism travel needs, groups, or special activities. This tourism fleet usually consists of large buses with standard facilities that support comfortable long-distance travel, which makes it a popular choice for traveling with family or groups. This service demonstrates how Primajasa positions RedWhite Star not only as an interregional and airport transportation solution but also as a convenient and professional land tourism service option within the same company.^[18]

In addition to the bus business, PO Primajasa has a secondary business, namely taxis. In 1993, Primajasa entered the taxi business after its operating license was approved in late 1992. This bus company had to compete with other taxi companies, such as Citra Kabaraja, Luhur Satria, Master Taxi, and Sentral Metro. as well as with other established taxis, including Blue Bird (including Silver Bird), Dian Taksi, Express, Kosti Jaya, Kotas, Liberty, and President Taxi.^[19] Currently, Primajasa taxis and other legal taxis face various competitors, including taxis based on ride-hailing and illegal taxis that often seek passengers around Soekarno–Hatta International Airport. Currently, Primajasa taxi services at Soekarno-Hatta Airport are served at Terminal 1, 2, and Terminal 3 of the airport.^[20]