Naikilah Perusahaan Minang
{{Short description|Indonesian autobus company}}
{{Infobox bus company
| name = PT Naikilah Perusahaan Minang
| logo =
| image = Armada npm di padang.jpg
| image_size =
| image_caption = NPM buses in Padang
| founded = 1 November 1937
| headquarters = Padang Panjang, West Sumatra
| fleet = ~80
| fuel_type =
|website={{url|https://www.busnpm.com/}}}}
PT Naikilah Perusahaan Minang (lit. "Take the Minang Company Limited"), abbreviated as NPM, is an Indonesian autobus company based in Padang Panjang, West Sumatra. Founded in 1937, it is the oldest operating autobus company in Indonesia.
History
The firm was founded on 1 November 1937 by Bahauddin Sutan Barbangso Nan Kuniang as a joint venture with several Chinese Indonesian businessmen in Padang Panjang. It was chartered in 1948.{{cite news |last1=M |first1=Ocky A. |title=Mengenal NPM, PO Bus Asal Minang yang Lahir Sebelum Indonesia Merdeka Hingga Jadi Penguasa Sumatera |url=https://katasumbar.com/mengenal-npm-po-bus-asal-minang-yang-lahir-sebelum-indonesia-merdeka-hingga-jadi-penguasa-sumatera/ |access-date=26 August 2022 |work=Kata Sumbar |date=29 December 2021 |language=id-ID}}{{cite news |title=Sejarah PO NPM, Bus Tertua yang Masih Beroperasi sampai Sekarang di Indonesia |url=https://www.inews.id/otomotif/mobil/sejarah-po-npm-bus-tertua-yang-masih-beroperasi-sampai-sekarang-di-indonesia/2 |access-date=26 August 2022 |work=iNews.ID |date=14 July 2022 |language=id}} Bahauddin had previously engaged in the transportation business and operated dogcarts. In its first decades, the company only served routes between cities and towns in West Sumatra, before later expanding to other cities in Sumatra and later to Java in the 1980s.
At its peak, the company operated over 100 buses, its Bukittinggi–Padang route being particularly important to the firm's business. During the 1990s and 2000s, the decline in business due to the Asian financial crisis and competition from air travel forced the company to downsize, until it operated just 27 buses in 2009. It briefly ceased operations during the COVID-19 pandemic due to a collapse in passenger numbers.{{cite news |title=Meski Berhenti Beroperasi, Bus NPM Benahi Pelayanan Berbasis Prokes |url=https://www.beritaminang.com/berita/12291/meski-berhenti-beroperasi-bus-npm-benahi-pelayanan-berbasis-prokes.html |access-date=26 August 2022 |work=Berita Minang |date=27 August 2021 |language=id}} As of 2021, it was the oldest autobus company still operating in Indonesia, being run by the third generation of the founder's family.{{cite news |title=Tantangan PO Tertua Di Indonesia, Mulai Krisis Moneter, Lawan Pesawat dan Pandemi |url=https://otomotif.kompas.com/read/2021/04/05/171200415/tantangan-po-tertua-di-indonesia-mulai-krisis-moneter-lawan-pesawat-dan |access-date=26 August 2022 |work=KOMPAS.com |date=5 April 2021 |language=id}}
Fleet and routes
As of 2022, the company operates 80 buses serving routes such as Padang–Jakarta and Padang–Medan.{{cite news |title=Cerita PO NPM, Pengusaha Bus Tertua di Sumatera, Bangkit dari Keterpurukan di Masa Pandemi... |url=https://money.kompas.com/read/2022/07/15/081700626/cerita-po-npm-pengusaha-bus-tertua-di-sumatera-bangkit-dari-keterpurukan-di?page=all |access-date=26 August 2022 |work=KOMPAS.com |date=15 July 2022 |language=id}} NPM's routes link West Sumatra with other cities in Sumatra and Java, with the longest route being Bukittinggi–Bandung and the shortest being Bukittinggi–Padang.{{cite news |last1=Andryanto |first1=S. Dian |title=Kisah Legenda Perusahaan Otobus, Ada yang Bernama Naikilah Perusahaan Minang |url=https://bisnis.tempo.co/read/1571448/kisah-legenda-perusahaan-otobus-ada-yang-bernama-naikilah-perusahaan-minang |access-date=26 August 2022 |work=Tempo |date=16 March 2022 |language=id}} For passengers heading to Central Java and East Java, the company has transfer agreements with other autobus companies.