TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - PT GoTo Gojek Tokopedia Tbk. ensures that Gojek services will operate as normal today, despite online motorcycle taxi (ojol) drivers' bid to stage a mass protest on Tuesday, May 20.
Chief of Public Policy & Government Relations at GoTo, Ade Mulya, claimed that the service provider is committed to maintaining a safe, comfortable, and productive ecosystem for all stakeholders, including both drivers and customers.
"Regarding the information on potential service disruption due to the planned demonstration on May 20, 2025, we affirm that Gojek will remain operational, and customers can still use our services as normal," he said in a written statement on Monday, May 19, 2025.
Gojek, Ade said, welcomes active driver partners to express their aspirations in orderly and conducive manners.
According to Ade, Gojek respects the right of every individual to express their opinions, including ojol drivers. "At the same time, we fully support partners who opt for resuming operation and taking orders as usual," he said.
Online motorcycle taxi drivers during today's mass protest will demand for app deductions to be capped at 10 percent, which Gojek said is "not a solution."
Ade said that the 20 percent deduction from trip fares is used to ensure the sustainability of order levels and driver income opportunities. With this commission, Ade said, Gojek can provide promos and discounts, incentives and self-help for drivers, travel insurance, as well as tax and marketing expenses.
Gojek claims to be in compliance with existing regulation governing the deduction, which rules that companies can charge up to 15 percent for app usage and 5 percent for driver welfare support.
"We file quarterly reports to the Ministry of Transportation to ensure that this commission is used to support the sustainability of orders and partner income," said Ade.
Ade also explained the existence of the platform fee paid by customers, which he said is part of drivers' earnings. He said that this fee is charged separately to users and is commonly applied by various technology platforms at home and abroad.
According to Ade, a 10 percent cap on platform deduction is available in other service companies, but ojol drivers choose Gojek for "stability of orders, numerous real benefits, and consistent support from the platform."
Regarding partner status, Ade explained that Gojek drivers are legally recognized under the auspices of the Ministry of Transportation. However, ojol drivers are recognized as partners, not employees of the service companies. Gojek considers the partnership model to offer flexibility.
"In managing working hours, increasing income opportunities, independently developing business activities, and encouraging companies to accommodate a significant number of drivers, even reaching millions," said Ade.
Previously, the Indonesian Transportation Workers Union (SPAI) said online taxi drivers as well as couriers will hold a mass protest on May 20, in addition to calling for a mass offbid action.
"This mass offbid action in Indonesia is a form of protest against the current working conditions, which continuously squeeze the workforce of online motorcycle drivers," said SPAI Chairperson Lily Pujiati in her statement on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
Lily explained that the current conditions of ojol drivers are far from acceptable, including cost deductions from platforms reaching 70 percent. She mentioned that online motorcycle taxi drivers receive a wage of Rp5,200 from delivering food, while customers pay the app operator Rp18,000. "Clearly, the application profits by exploiting motorcycle taxi drivers," she said.
Therefore, she continued, SPAI supports the demand for a 10 percent cut or removal. Additionally, SPAI requests applications to provide clarity regarding passengers, goods, and food that are equal and fair.
"Additionally, we support eliminating discriminatory programs that prioritize orders for motorcycle taxi drivers who participate in them, which results in unequal working rights for other drivers," said Lily.
Lily mentioned the discriminatory programs applied across service companies, including GrabBike Hemat, the aceng scheme in Gojek, slot schemes, hub schemes in ShopeeFood, priority schemes in Maxim, InDrive, Lalamove, Borzo, Deliveree, and others.
She also urged the Ministry of Manpower to create clear regulations for online motorcycle taxi drivers. "So that app companies do not act arbitrarily towards their drivers," said Lily.
Meanwhile, the online motorcycle taxi drivers' association, Garda Indonesia, hopes that the government will address the concerns of online motorcycle and taxi drivers who have tolerated regulatory violations by the applications.
The regulation set a maximum application cut of 20 percent. However, the app operators are alleged to have cut up to 50 percent. Therefore, about 500,000 ojol drivers will hold a massive rally today.
Adil Al Hasan and Melynda Dwi Puspita contributed to this article.
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