Named as Suspect: The Role of Bus Company Director Whose Vehicle Killed 16 People in Krapyak
Semarang Metropolitan Police have named Ahmad Warsito, President Director of bus company PT Cahaya Pariwisata Transportasi, as a suspect in the crash that killed 16 people in Krapyak, Central Java. Ahmad is alleged to have committed negligence leading to the accident.
This was disclosed by Semarang Metropolitan Police Chief Commissioner Syahduddi at a press conference in Semarang on Wednesday (18 February 2026). He said the suspect designation was made following a case review.
“Investigators have named AW, as President Director and owner of the bus company, as a suspect,” said Syahduddi.
He then outlined the various roles Ahmad played that led to his designation as a suspect. First, he said, Ahmad failed to carry out supervisory functions over the operations of PT Cahaya Pariwisata Transportasi.
“Second, he was aware that the bus operating the Bogor–Yogyakarta route did not possess a route permit or supervision card (KPS), yet still authorised it to operate despite staff and the company’s head of operations having reported that the bus lacked both a route permit and a KPS,” he said.
Syahduddi said the bus had been serving the Bogor–Yogyakarta route since 2022, even though the route had never been licensed.
“Since 2022, it had been operating the Bogor–Yogyakarta route illegally,” he said.
He noted there were violations of Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), namely that the bus driver, named Gilang, was using a forged Class B1 Public driving licence. He said Ahmad, as the company owner, had not provided any training to drivers.
“The procedure was simply that a driver could park the bus at the depot and would then be immediately ordered to drive the vehicle carrying passengers on the Bogor–Yogyakarta route without any prior testing,” he said.
Furthermore, the suspect Ahmad also failed to equip his buses with safety features in accordance with Ministry of Transport regulations. Among other deficiencies, there were no seatbelts on passenger seats.
Syahduddi urged bus operators to ensure passenger safety. He called on transport entrepreneurs to comply with regulations for the sake of collective safety, particularly ahead of the Idul Fitri homecoming period.
“We appeal to owners, transport operators and route holders to guarantee the safety of passengers who will be using their transport services, bearing in mind that in the coming weeks there is predicted to be a surge in public transport users during the Idul Fitri homecoming season. We hope that traffic accidents causing fatalities among large numbers of passengers will not recur,” he said.
“We remind owners of public transport and transport services to strictly comply with regulations, SOPs and prevailing legislation. What we have conveyed today is evidence of our commitment to delivering a sense of justice for all parties in connection with the accident that occurred some time ago,” he added.
The Krapyak crash occurred in December 2025 and resulted in 16 deaths.