Trans Semanggi Suroboyo

Trans Semanggi Suroboyo, simplify TSS is an urban bus transit system in Surabaya metropolitan area of East Java, Indonesia. The entire system is using buy-the-service scheme Teman Bus initiated by the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation. The system was officially opened on 29 December 2021, making it the tenth city in Indonesia to implement the scheme. The bus fleet procurement is conducted by the Ministry of Transportation, while its operational management is handled by third-party companies such as PT Seduluran Bus Suroboyo and state-owned bus company Perum DAMRI.

The Ministry of Transportation allocated 104 low deck fleets for the Teman Bus service in Surabaya; 40 fleets are electric buses while 64 others are diesel buses. The procurement process will be carried out in stages between 2022 and 2024. These buses are planned to be operated in six different corridors. Several corridors will replace existing urban bus systems such as regular city buses or the existing Suroboyo Bus system.

Throughout 2022, two Trans Semanggi Suroboyo corridors began operation. Corridor 2 (Lidah Wetan–Kejawan Putih Tambak) was launched on February 1, 2022, and Corridor 3 (Purabaya–Kenjeran Park via Surabaya Middle East Ring Road) was launched on December 20, 2022.

The service is connected to shared taxis such as bemo and Wirawiri Suroboyo at several locations in Surabaya.

History
On 22 October 2020, the Director General of Land Transportation within the Indonesian Ministry of Transportation, Budi Setiyadi, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Mayor of Surabaya, Tri Rismaharini regarding the plan and implementation of a road-based transportation program with a BTS scheme in Surabaya. Surabaya is part of the pilot project for the Teman Bus program with nine other cities in Indonesia. Surabaya received a grant of 104 bus units from the ministry, which will be operated in six different corridors. Its procurement program starts in mid-2021, later than the other planned nine cities.

The Director General of Land Transportation carried out an auction for the third party operator of Surabaya city bus system development on 29 October 2021. Based on the selection and verification results, PT Seduluran Bus Suroboyo was eligible to become the operator. It is a joint consortium of three existing autobus companies providing intercity bus services in East Java, such as PT Kalisari Citra Jaya, PT Harapan Jaya Prima and PT Tentrem Sejahtera Karoseri.

The system, which later named Trans Semanggi Suroboyo, was finally launched in a ceremony on 29 December 2021, at Surabaya City Hall. Originally one of the corridors launched was planned to start operating on 1 January 2022, however, this plan was postponed, following a circular letter from the Director General of Land Transportation to the Surabaya city government dated 31 December 2021 called for the temporary suspension of Teman Bus operation. It is issued because the Ministry of Transportation is currently conducting a thorough evaluation and finalizing a number of technical operations on Teman Bus services. After being postponed for a month, the Corridor 2 (Lidah Wetan–Kejawan Putih Tambak) began its operation on 1 February 2022.

Naming
"Trans Semanggi Suroboyo" is the official brand of Teman Bus service in Surabaya. Its name comes from pecel semanggi, one of Surabaya's traditional dish and a cultural heritage. The dish uses clover (semanggi) leaves as one of its main ingredients. Kampoeng Semanggi Benowo, a culinary center located in Benowo district of Surabaya, is an area that is well known for clover cultivation and the dish preservation.

Corridors
The Trans Semanggi Suroboyo will be realized in six corridors between 2022 and 2024. These six corridors will reach most of the primary arterial roads in Surabaya's inner city. Four corridors have previously been served by the existing Suroboyo Bus, while the other two corridors are the new development of urban bus lines that reaches Pakal district Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology and Airlangga University campus areas.