JAKARTA – Over 1,000 motorcycle taxi drivers in Indonesia staged a strike across multiple cities on August 29 to protest against low pay and demand better protection from what they describe as unfair practices by ride-sharing companies.
The striking drivers, recognizable by their green jackets, gathered outside the communications ministry and near the Jakarta offices of GoTo, Indonesia’s largest technology company, and Grab, Southeast Asia’s biggest ride-hailing and food delivery firm.
Motorcycle taxis are a vital part of daily life in Indonesia, especially in the traffic-choked capital, Jakarta. The strike led to some disruptions in service, prompting complaints on social media about delays.
A spokesperson for Gojek, GoTo’s ride-hailing unit, stated that its operations were running normally and that the company remained open to input from drivers. Grab’s Indonesian unit, meanwhile, emphasized that its tariffs are designed to balance stable demand with fair earnings for drivers. However, Grab did not comment on whether the strike affected its operations.
The drivers are calling for a greater share of the revenue from each trip—currently set at 80%—and for the government to grant them special employment status to enhance their bargaining power over fees. Andi Kristiyanto, a representative of the National Online Taxi Coalition, which organized the protest, said that drivers want more say in how their pay is determined.
One driver, Wandi, who participated in the strike, shared that despite working 10 hours a day, he earns less than 150,000 rupiah (S$12.60) most days, which is below Jakarta’s minimum wage of 5 million rupiah. “We want platforms to listen to us,” he said.
Both GoTo and Grab classify drivers as partners rather than employees, meaning they are not legally required to provide minimum wages, social security insurance, or regulated working hours. Nabiyla Risfa Izzati, a labor law lecturer at the University of Gadjah Mada, suggested that the government should step in to regulate these companies, including setting minimum and maximum fees for services such as ride-hailing and food delivery.
While Indonesia’s manpower ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment, the transport ministry noted that it does not regulate fees and urged ride-sharing platforms to heed the concerns of their drivers.