Bundaran HI Astra (Transjakarta)

Bundaran HI (or Bundaran HI Astra, with Astra International granted for naming rights) is a TransJakarta bus rapid transit station on the M.H. Thamrin Street, Jakarta, Indonesia that serves corridor 1. The station's name came from the Hotel Indonesia Roundabout which is located nearby the station. More than just being a bus station, Bundaran HI Astra station is also a new tourism spot of Jakarta, thanks to its viewing deck that towards the historical Selamat Datang Monument.

History


The Transjakarta Corridor 1 began its soft operational launch on 15 January 2004, along with all of its stations, including Bundaran HI. The commercial operation of corridor 1 was started on 1 February 2004, as well as Bundaran HI and all BRT stations on corridor 1.

The Bundaran HI BRT station was demolished for the construction of the Jakarta MRT on 6 January 2014. However, since 24 March 2019, the BRT station was reopened and integrated with the Bundaran HI MRT station underneath this bus stop.

On 15 April 2022, the Bundaran HI BRT station was closed again for revitalization along with 10 other stations to be revitalized including the Dukuh Atas 1, Tosari, Juanda, Cikoko Stasiun Cawang (now Cikoko), Sarinah (now M.H. Thamrin), Kebon Pala (now Matraman Baru), Kwitang, Balai Kota, Gelora Bung Karno, and Stasiun Jatinegara 2 BRT stations. As an alternative, a shuttle bus route had been prepared to accommodate passengers during the revitalization process. The route was the National Monument (Monas)-Semanggi (1ST) route which operates in corridor 1 until 11 September 2022.

Despite the construction has not yet been fully completed, the Bundaran HI BRT station has started carrying out customer trials on 6 October 2022. It only serves from 05.00 to 21.00. During the trial period, the 2nd floor area of this station and several facilities (including the direct access from the MRT station) could not be utilized by customers. After the Community Activities Restrictions Enforcement (PPKM) was lifted by the Government on 30 December 2022, Bundaran HI bus station began to fully operational 24 hours and the 2nd floor of the bus stop including toilets, prayer rooms, and skydeck. Both sides of the bus station could be accessed freely by Transjakarta customers who access the Bundaran HI bus station.

From 4 March to 28 May 2023, Bundaran HI bus station served as the terminus of corridor 3 temporarily, due to the Jakarta MRT phase 2 project,  until it was shortened to Monumen Nasional on 29 May.

Naming rights


On 30 June 2022, TransJakarta announced the sale of exclusive naming rights for several BRT stations, including Bundaran HI which is an iconic station that prioritize public transportation service and also as the landmark of international business and lifestyle. Hence that, Bundaran HI station becomes a strategic intermediary for promotion activities.

In August 2023, Astra International granted the naming right of Bundaran HI BRT station, making it as the first TransJakarta BRT station—and also the first of its kind in Indonesia—to commercially grant a naming right. Practically, the "ASTRA" brand is gradually juxtaposed with the name of this station on signages, route maps, passenger information system, and TransJakarta's social media platforms.

Building and layout


Bundaran HI Astra BRT station has two floors which resembles a cruise ship, with arc-shaped platforms and batik-inspired facade patterns. The new artistic design is made by Kuncara Wicaksana. The building has toilets, praying rooms, commercial and passenger waiting areas, and a viewing deck overlooking the Selamat Datang Monument on the south side at the second floor, which is accessible with escalators and elevators. The disabled toilet is on the first floor. Ahead of the trial run, several parties criticized the design of the BRT station as it obstructed the view of the Selamat Datang Monument.

Places nearby

 * BBC
 * BBC News
 * BBC World Service
 * Selamat Datang Monument
 * Wisma Nusantara
 * Plaza Indonesia
 * Grand Hyatt Jakarta
 * The Plaza
 * The Keraton
 * Indonesia One Tower
 * Sinar Mas Land Plaza
 * Graha Mandiri
 * Deutsche Bank
 * 🇧🇪 Embassy of Belgium
 * 🇯🇵 Embassy of Japan
 * Thamrin City
 * Pullman Jakarta Indonesia
 * Thamrin City Amaris Hotel

Incidents


The Bundaran HI BRT station was burned by demonstrators on 8 October 2020 during the Job Creation Law Demonstration along with 8 other BRT Stations affected. Losses due to this incident are estimated at up to 45 billion rupiah. The incident was very unfortunate considering that this BRT station is an iconic station and it is one of the destinations for many commuters heading to the office/mall complex.