Gojek confirms minority stake buy in taxi firm Blue Bird

Indonesian ride-hailing decacorn Gojek has confirmed its acquisition of a minority stake in local taxi firm Blue Bird reportedly worth US$30 million.

Photo credit: Gojek

“Our deepened collaboration with Blue Bird will allow us to scale two of our key services in Indonesia: payments and transport. Both parties are looking forward to collaborating further and taking the partnership to the next level,” said Andre Soelistyo, co-CEO of Gojek, in an emailed statement.

Citing sources familiar with the matter, Bloomberg earlier reported that the tech giant acquired a 4.3% stake in Blue Bird from its holding company Pusaka Citra Djokosoetono. A February 14 stock exchange filing showed that Pusaka Citra sold more than 108 million shares of Blue Bird at 3,800 rupiah (US$0.28) per share without identifying the buyer.

Following the transaction, Blue Bird will be integrated into GoPay’s network, according to a DealStreetAsia report. The partnership will also see the addition of QR code scanners in Blue Bird’s taxis, giving commuters the option to pay for their rides through Gojek’s payment system.

The latest deal builds upon an existing collaboration between the two companies. First announced in 2016, the partnership allows users to book Blue Bird taxis from the Gojek app.

To date, Blue Bird claims to have a combined fleet of around 23,000 in more than 61 areas throughout Jakarta, Banten, Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya, Bali, Lombok, Medan, Padang, Batam, Pekanbaru, Palembang, Makasar, and Manado.