Indonesian gig drivers protest demanding lower app fees
JAKARTA: Thousands of drivers from ride-hailing and food delivery apps protested in Indonesia on Tuesday, demanding a 10-percent cap on commission fees.
Hundreds of drivers gathered in the streets of the capital Jakarta, driving their motorbikes and waving flags.
Thousands more in Indonesia's second-largest city of Surabaya drove to the offices of ride-hailing apps GoJek and Grab, before rallying in front of the governor's office, an AFP journalist saw.
'Many of our friends got into accidents on the road, died on the road because they have to chase their income,' Raden Igun Wicaksono, chairman of the driver's union Garda Indonesia, told AFP.
'It's about lives, not about business calculation.'
Drivers are also demanding the end of discounted fare programs and calling on lawmakers to meet with the drivers' association and app companies.
Motorbike and scooter drivers who form the backbone of Indonesia's sprawling gig economy earn up to 150,000 rupiah ($10) a day, but costs including app commissions and fuel eat into their income.
Gojek — which alongside Singapore's Grab is among Asia's most valuable startups — said it was committed to 'supporting the long-term welfare of our driver partners.'
But lowering its 20-percent commission fee, which complied with regulations, was 'not a viable solution,' according to Ade Mulya, head of public policy for Gojek's parent company GoTo.
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