Owner of Cahaya Trans Bus Becomes a Suspect in Semarang Toll Accident that Killed 16 Passengers

JAKARTA - Police have named the Director of PT Cahaya Wisata Transport as the owner of the Cahaya Trans bus that was involved in an accident on the toll road in Semarang City, Central Java on December 22, 2025 and killed 16 of its passengers, as a suspect for the series of events of the accident.

"The suspect did not carry out the function of supervising the bus operations," said Semarang Police Chief Kombes Pol. M. Syahduddi in Semarang, Wednesday.

According to him, the suspect is suspected of knowing that the bus with the Bogor - Yogyakarta route did not have a route permit and a supervision card issued by the Ministry of Transportation, but still operated it.

He said the Cahaya Trans bus route Bogor - Yogyakarta has been operating since 2022.

He emphasized that PT Cahaya Wisata Transport had illegally run the Bogor - Yogyakarta route which had never had a permit or documents related to the management of the route permit.

The suspect, he continued, was also suspected of not making standard operating procedures in terms of bus driver recruitment.

"The suspect should check the validity of the driver's SIM card that drives the bus," he said.

He said the driver did not receive clear training.

The bus that was involved in the accident, he continued, had even been towed twice in November and December 2025 for not having the legal documents.

For his actions, the suspect was charged with Article 474 paragraph 3 of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code regarding negligence resulting in death.

In the accident, the Semarang Police have also named the bus driver with the initials GIF as a suspect.