WNAM REPORT: The Indonesian government has pledged to follow up on all the demands raised by online taxi drivers during a mass demonstration on Tuesday, including a proposal to cap ride-hailing companies’ commissions at 10 percent of drivers’ earnings.
Ahmad Yani, Secretary of the Directorate General of Land Transportation at the Ministry of Transportation, said the government would engage in detailed discussions with driver representatives.
“In principle, we appreciate the demands … We are ready to discuss the issues,” Yani said, as he attempted to communicate directly with demonstrators in Jakarta on Tuesday.
He stated that a follow-up meeting would address the drivers’ demands in detail, so that future government policies can be more accurate and equitable.
Yani tried to open a dialogue with the online taxi drivers protesting near the Arjuna Wijaya Monument (Patung Kuda) in Central Jakarta.
Arriving at around 2 p.m. local time, he approached the police barricade separating the demonstrators. However, protest leaders refused to engage unless Minister of Transportation Dudy Purwagandhi was present.
Standing atop protest vehicles, the leaders insisted they would only speak with the minister—not with other ministry officials.
Earlier that morning, Garda Indonesia, an association of online motorbike taxi drivers, told ANTARA that the agenda included marching to the Ministry of Transportation, Merdeka Palace, the Parliamentary Complex, and the offices of several ride-hailing companies.
Raden Igun Wicaksono, the association’s president, said the protest aimed to amplify drivers’ calls for fairer practices in the ride-hailing industry.
He emphasized the need for government enforcement of Transportation Ministry Regulation No. 1001 of 2022, which prohibits companies from taking more than 20 percent of the service fees earned by drivers.
According to Wicaksono, some companies are allegedly taking as much as 50 percent, prompting drivers to demand that the limit be reduced to 10 percent.
In addition to a lower commission cap, drivers are also calling for a joint hearing with lawmakers, the government, ride-hailing associations, and relevant companies. Other demands include revising customer tariffs and implementing a standardized fee system for food and goods delivery services.
