On 17th September, I went back to Jakarta by bus again but from Surabaya there are the same rules applied. The Big Buses are forbidden to ride across the city. So, I and my family went to the bus station just a side of Surabaya city named Purabaya or usually called Bungurasih. This is a quite big terminal because all buses from all cities transited here to continue their journey to other cities in java. They separated the local bus and the long distance buses so the passengers are quite informative in this station.
I got Lorena (the name of the bus) this bus is quite famous several years ago because of their services. So, my sister bought me this bus ticket to ride me back home.
The bus itself is Mercedes-Benz OH 1626, this type is using generally by a lot of bus companies for it's power, services, handling and durability. 
The seats are made from fabric with reclining system for the back but I can't found the foot rest, it was removed. it kind of weird because in long route like Surabaya to Jakarta it will be take more than 1000 kilometers and more than 20 hours ride and our leg will be very tired without those foot rest. On every seat they prepared a blanket and a small pillow. The seats are standard in two-two and a row for the access way. The row is quite narrow maybe because the seats are a bit wider than the standard bus. |
| smoking room seats |
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| electric plugs |
It also have TV set and of course air conditioners that make the cabin is very cold. it also have smoking room with 2 seats placed beside rest room in the back.
The rest room is quite clean and it have water supply to flush or just washing our hands.
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| smoking room on board |
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| rest room on board |
Basically this is a comfortable yet powerful bus with great handling and European standard security system.
Now, the nightmare begin. An hour since our departure from Surabaya, The driver is starting to smoking, Yes, he is smoking in the air-conditioned cabin while driving the bus carelessly with zig-zag like Fast and Furious movies. I really can't enjoy the ride. Since, I hate cigarette's smoke and the ride is not enjoyable and when I move to back seats to avoid the smoke with my son, I hit my son's head to the handle because of the driver can't drive properly. So crazy driver.
Not long from that, we arrived at the restaurant to have our dinner.
The Restaurant name in Taman Sari in Tuban City, East Java. The place is quite clean and they have several menu for free and we can ask another menu but we have to pay it by ourselves.
They also served a souvenir store that display many local food and snack to bring home for those whose want to bring something home.
The capacity is more than 300 persons because the dining room is quite big and the ceiling have plenty of electric fans to help circulated the air inside the restaurant.
In the middle of the way near the border of Middle Java, the was an accident. A crazy bus driver from KARINA, it's the same company with LORENA hits a parked truck then hits 2 medium trucks. The co-driver is dead on site because of his body is cut into half by the truck's back which thrust into the bus's front face, some of the passengers also get injured because of this incident. As usual, the bus driver is runaway to avoid the responsibility for his action. As the eye witness said, the driver was driving like crazy to overlaps some trucks but he forgot to saw there was a truck that parked on the side of the road and his just hits it in high speed and pushed that truck quite far. Another example for those drive so carelessly without thought or calculation. And for his action, the traffic is jammed for several kilometers and my journey was held for 4 hours.
My bus should be arrived at Jakarta around 9 am but because of the accident, they said it will be around 2 pm. Then another crazy things happen. In the Cikampek's bus stop, we transfered into another small bus because I choose to stopped in the Kalideres Bus Station since this bus station is the nearest from my home. So, I go with this small bus which is lower class than mine before and in the middle of the way the bus is stopped and the wheels are broken and can't continued the ride so we are must go out of the bus and waiting beside the freeway for another bus. And.....we was waiting for more than 4 hours. and no bus was come to helped us. I sent a complain letter to the headquarter of the bus company bur still no response so, around 5 pm, I got my family to take another bus that headed to Lebak Bulus station. Poor my son, he is so tired to waited in the side of the freeway. Around 8pm, we arrived at Lebak Bulus station then we transferred to TransJakarta that headed to Harmony because it will be passes Sumber Waras Hospital bus stop that the nearest bus stop from my home and right 9pm, we finally home. What a great journey with LORENA. Now, I award the LORENA is the WORST EVER bus company in Indonesia. That will be my last time and I hope all my readers will be have the same perspective as mine. (jmz)
