Sinar Jaya Suites Class Bus from Surabaya Terminal Purabaya Bungurasih to Jakarta Lebak Bulus

Sinar Jaya is a familiar operator of Suites Class accommodation on express buses in Indonesia. I’ve always wanted to try it out ever since I first saw a Suites Class bus at GAIKINDO Indonesia International Commercial Vehicle Expo (GIICOMVEC) 2020, but as the world would have it, that was on my last trip to Indonesia before the world shut down before the bus was delivered to the customer. Nevertheless, the highlight of this trip to Surabaya is catching the Sinar Jaya Suites Class bus from Surabaya to Jakarta, to finally try sleeping accommodation on board an express bus in Indonesia.

Surabaya Terminal Purabaya Bungurasih

Heading into Surabaya Terminal Purabaya Bungurasih.

Surabaya Terminal Purabaya Bungurasih’s wayfinding system looks similar to an airport or a railway station in Indonesia, so everything is very clear.

Check-in

Ticket counters are in a row before the departure hall.

The Sinar Jaya counter is at Counter 14, and I headed there to check-in with my booking.

My boarding pass for my Sinar Jaya Suites Class bus from Surabaya Terminal Purabaya Bungurasih to Jakarta Agen Sinar Jaya Lebak Bulus. The dinner menu is printed at the bottom of the boarding pass for me to indicate what I would like to have for dinner. A dinner service is provided at a rest stop later during the journey.

Heading into the departure hall.

The main departure hall of Surabaya Terminal Purabaya Bungurasih.

Heading up the escalator to the bus boarding level.

The left side of Surabaya Terminal Purabaya Bungurasih is for buses within the province for nearby journeys.

The right side of Surabaya Terminal Purabaya Bungurasih is for intercity buses for long-haul journeys around Java and to Bali.

Heading out to the departure lanes.

Looking down at the wide bus lanes at Surabaya Terminal Purabaya Bungurasih.

Boarding

I was told to head down to Lane 21 for boarding.

The sign on the bridge, however, says Lane 21 is for buses to Tuban and Semarang.

Nevertheless, I headed down anyway.

Turns out that boarding for my Sinar Jaya Suites Class bus is not at the platform itself, but at the bus park after it.

My Sinar Jaya Suites Class bus at the bus park after Lane 21.

Sinar Jaya Suites Class Bus

The interior of my Sinar Jaya Suites Class bus, complete with faux plants for decoration. Seats are laid out in a 1+1 configuration on 2 decks.

Shoes must be taken off when inside the bus. The Sinar Jaya staff reminds all passengers to take shoes off at the bus steps. Shoe racks are provided along the aisle.

A step is available to access my upper Suite.

I booked Suite 1 which is unofficially officially designated as a VIP seat. There is no extra fare to be paid, however, to book this seat. Suite 1 is the front-most seat on the left side of the bus, which means that there is no seat in front to tuck into, meaning more moving space when lying down.

This seat also comes with a much larger television screen, though this was not working throughout my trip.

As you can see, the other seats behind are tessellated over each other, with a cubby for feet below the back of the seat in front.

The legroom available in Suite 1.

A television was available, but was not working throughout the journey.

USB charging sockets are available, but the one at my Suite was not working.

A reading light is also available which was working.

A pillow and blanket is provided for the night Suite journey.

Aircon vents are available like a regular bus.

A cup/bottle holder is available, along with a bottle of water provided on the Suite at the start of the journey.

The lower Suites 2 and 4 have a similar space, however, there is almost no window view due to the bus’ body design.

The leg space available is roughly the same, but there’s a perception of it being tighter due to the cubby.

My Suite 1 is just behind the door and driver’s cab, which got me a small front view during the journey.

A toilet is available at the rear of the bus.

The toilet is not very pleasant, but probably useful for light usage. The tap was also not working, with bottles of water provided for washing hands. The toilet, however, was able to flush.

My Sinar Jaya Suites Class departed from Surabaya Terminal Purabaya Bungurasih on time at 5.30pm.

Turning out of the bus parking area.

Heading out of Surabaya Terminal Purabaya Bungurasih.

Lots of buses also departed at 5.30pm to various destinations, so it was a convoy out of Surabaya Terminal Purabaya Bungurasih.

It was just a short drive to the toll road just ahead.

Trans-Jawa Toll Road

Heading on to the Waru-Juanda Toll Road.

Heading through the toll booth to enter the Trans-Jawa Toll Road.

Heading along the Trans-Jawa Toll Road as the sun started to set.

Disposable slippers are provided by the staff for use within the bus, especially for going to the toilet.

Rest Area 519B

After about 2 and a half hours, my Sinar Jaya Suites Class bus turned into Rest Area 519B for dinner.

My Sinar Jaya Suites Class bus at Rest Area 519B. A stop of half an hour was announced.

Toilets are available just beside the bus park.

Sinar Jaya RM. Sri Rejeki

The Sinar Jaya dinner place at RM. Sri Rejeki is just after the toilet.

Tickets are scanned at the front counter by the RM. Sri Rejeki staff to redeem dinner, which is included in the Sinar Jaya Suites Class bus ticket price.

Next, passengers queue up at the food counter to redeem dinner.

After picking up dinner, a fruit and tea can be collected from the side counter.

Additional a la carte food and drinks can also be ordered with the menu hung in a big banner on the wall. The side buffet line is for bus staff.

Mie Jawa

My inclusive dinner at RM. Sri Rejeki, courtesy of Sinar Jaya.

I ordered a Mie Jawa for dinner. This was served lukewarm, probably due to all the food being pre-prepared for the quick service required.

A small banana was also provided from the side counter.

Free flow of warm tea was also included.

There is also a small prayer area inside the restaurant.

There is also an outdoor seating area at RM. Sri Rejeki.

The additional menu is also found here.

There are some other restaurants around serving other bus companies. All these food places are also open to regular customers with normal charges applied.

An Indomaret is available by the side for additional drinks or snacks for the journey.

There is also another Sinar Jaya bus at RM. Sri Rejeki departing at a similar time, so look out for the correct bus to re-board. Though it’s quite easy to differentiate since this other bus comes with mostly seats instead of Suites, with 3 classes of travel.

2 sleeper seats above the front wheel hub on the lower deck, for the lucky 2 people who can book it.

The rest of the bus is filled with seats. Super Executive in a 2+1 configuration is located on the lower deck, and Normal in a 2+2 configuration is located on the upper deck.

Heading back to my Sinar Jaya Suites Class bus.

Other bus operators are also parked together at the bus bay.

I returned to my Sinar Jaya Suites Class bus with condensation on the windows. Good bus temperature in comparison to the warmth outside.

After boarding, I slept for the night in my almost-flat seat.

Pulo Gebang Bus Terminal

The first stop in Jakarta was Pulo Gebang Bus Terminal at 3.45am. This is a convenient point to travel into Jakarta by interchanging to TransJakarta busway Corridor 2 which offers a 24-hour service, but it was too early to begin my day. The stop here was just about 5 minutes for alighting passengers only.

Kampung Rambutan Bus Terminal

The second stop was Kampung Rambutan Bus Terminal, but just on the main road outside of the bus terminal. This is also just a quick stop for drop-off only.

Agen Sinar Jaya Lebak Bulus

The third stop, where I alighted, was Agen Sinar Jaya Lebak Bulus. My Sinar Jaya Suites Class bus arrived at Agen Sinar Jaya Lebak Bulus at 4.25am, making this a journey of 10 hours and 55 minutes from Surabaya Terminal Purabaya Bungurasih. It’s not the fastest trip, but remember that this is inclusive of a dinner stop, and getting into Jakarta too early won’t get me enough sleep anyway. Arriving at 4.25am at my destination also felt quite too early.

My Sinar Jaya Suites Class bus stopped outside Agen Sinar Jaya Lebak Bulus, which houses a waiting area and bus park as well.

My Sinar Jaya Suites Class bus will continue on to Kalideres Bus Terminal, where it terminates.

Lebak Bukus Grab MRT Station

Agen Sinar Jaya Lebak Bulus is located just adjacent to Lebak Bukus Grab MRT Station, which is why I chose it as my alighting point.

The walk from Agen Sinar Jaya Lebak Bulus to the entrance of Lebak Bukus Grab MRT Station takes just under 1 minute.

Heading to the stairs to ascend up to Lebak Bukus Grab MRT Station.

My arrival time was just nice to coincide with the opening time of Lebak Bukus Grab MRT Station at 4.30am. I could freshen up a little bit using the toilet in the MRT station.

The first train departs from Lebak Bukus Grab MRT Station at 5.00am.

Heading to the station concourse.

Heading through security to get to the fare gates.

MRT Jakarta

The first train was already standing by at the platform 15 minutes before departure.

The empty interior of the first MRT Jakarta Ratangga train of the day.

Here, I continued my journey into Jakarta by MRT.

Conclusion

Sinar Jaya Suites Class offers a sleeper transport option with individual Suites to travel across Java overnight in an almost lie-flat seat, at around the same cost as the Argo Bromo Anggrek night train in an Executive seat in a 2+2 configuration. The cost of a Luxury Sleeper seat in the Argo Bromo Anggrek is also around double that of Sinar Jaya Suites Class. If looking for a comfortable night travel across Indonesia, a Suites Class bus is probably the way to go.

On the downside, my USB power socket in my Suite was not working, which is a bummer, especially when not travelling with a powerbank. The entertainment screen was also not working, but that is fine since this is a night journey and I would rather sleep than to watch something on TV.

The Suites Class bus was brand new when I first saw it at GAIKINDO Indonesia International Commercial Vehicle Expo (GIICOMVEC) 2020, but it is already showing its age after about 3 years since its launch. Hopefully, maintenance can be beefed up so that passengers get the full suite of amenities advertised in Suites Class.