Is Go-Jek evil? Drivers share thoughts on how it could improve

Barely a day goes by without local news sites reporting yet another incident involving Go-Jek, Indonesia’s motorcycle ride-hailing app, which gained a ton of momentum this year. Media outlets – Tech in Asia included – scrutinize each turn along this young company’s way because it’s a captivating story. Go-Jek is the poster child of Indonesia’s new, digital economy on the rise. And it’s not always a pretty picture.

It began with “traditional” ojek drivers protesting the new, app-based on-demand system Go-Jek introduced. Ojek is the Indonesian word for independent, informal motorcycle taxis.

An anti Go-Jek and GrabBike banner in Jakarta’s Pancoran area (from metrotvnews.com)

Go-Jek couldn’t be stopped. Its promise to drivers (more income, more efficiency) and passengers (more safety, cheap promo fares) overpowered doubters. Mid-year, Go-Jek signed up tens of thousands of new drivers onto its partner network in a mass recruiting event. But more drivers also meant more trouble.

Crackdown on fake bookings

In the past weeks, some Go-Jek drivers became vocal about their disappointment with the company. Changes the company made to the drivers’ compensation structure led to a small demonstration in Jakarta. The recent suspension of some 7,000 drivers for alleged fraud led to larger protests in Denpasar. Similar scenes were reported in Bandung.

Go-Jek drivers demonstrate in Bandung. Photo credit: Tribun Jabar

It’s possible some drivers are gaming Go-Jek’s booking system. This could be done by creating fake bookings, say from a friend’s phone. The driver snatches up the booking and collects the payment, but never actually performs the ride. But protesting drivers insisted they had done nothing wrong. They also said they weren’t given a warning before their suspension, and that the fines Go-Jek asked for were outrageous.

Go-Jek founder Nadiem Makarim, in a brief statement, argued the company collected sufficient proof against these drivers, and needed to take a strong stand to discourage future fraud attempts. But just like it’s possible some drivers did cheat, it’s possible some were wrongly snatched up by Go-Jek’s fraud detection algorithms. Go-Jek does not reveal how, specifically, it defines fraud. A company spokesperson told Tech in Asia that Go-Jek does have a process in place to deal with each driver’s suspension case by case.

Go-Jek’s founder Nadiem Makarim issued a statement via the company’s Facebook account, explaining the situation. He said more than 7,000 drivers were accused of fraud. They are given the chance to come back into the network by paying a fine.

7,000 drivers is a small number, when viewed in relation to the 200,000 drivers Go-Jek claims to have in its network. Put bluntly, Go-Jek can afford to piss off, and even lose some drivers. The incident, in the eyes of some, left the company looking evil. It coldly suspended drivers and dictated the rules of the game.

Many drivers still identify with the company despite the controversy, and are proud of their profession. The existence of make-shift Go-Jek driver cafes in many parts of the city is proof.

Go-Jek drivers gather at spots like the Gojek Warkop on Jalan Satrio in central Jakarta to take a break, to gossip, pass along information, help each other solve technical problems, and to recharge their phones and nicotine levels.

1.How it treats driver partners

2. Focus on the core product

3. Release more data

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