REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Thousands of online bike drivers (ojol) staged a demonstration demanding the attention of the government and application parties in the area of Patung Kuda, Central Jakarta, Thursday (29/8/2024). The protesters gathered at the rally point of the Horse Statue from about 12:00pm.

They initially gathered at various points in the administrative city, both from Central Jakarta, West Jakarta, South Jakarta, North Jakarta, and East Jakarta, as well as various other buffer cities such as Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi (Bodetabek), then moved towards a demonstration point centered in the Monas area.

Demonstrators include various communities from online transportation or e-commerce applications that exist in Indonesia. They appear to use attributes from each of their communities which are notabene in green to orange. One of the protesters, Yanti, 28, said among the demands voiced by his side was the determination of tariffs or argo. According to his narration, the tariff or argo does not at all take the side of the driver's position.

He recounted his experience while carrying passengers from Kelapa Gading to Pejuang Bekasi during rush hour and stuck conditions. Supposedly, the tariff is set at around Rp 40 thousand, but due to the large deductions it will be only Rp 28 thousand.

“Argo should be higher, this isn't it. The rule is above Rp 40 thousand, this is Rp 20 thousand to Rp 30 thousand. Doesn't fit that. The cut is too big for us, 20-30 percent,” Yanti told reporters at a demonstration point on Thursday (29/8/2024).

With such large cuts, Yanti admitted that he did not profit from his driving activities. Because he also has to refuel for smooth mobility.

“There is no profit at all, running out of gasoline because on the way from Ivory to Bekasi it was completely stuck. It's been like this for a long time. Pieces are too big,” he explained.

In addition, Diana (32 years old) complained about deductions of incentives or bonuses for drivers. Diana, who has been working as a driver for eight years, told me that the incentives that the first drivers got were humane, but over time they were no longer humane.

“It's a long way off, we used to still get bonuses, the more we get here from 2018, the more ruined it is. The incentive is gone, anyway the more it gets here the worse it gets. Argo is more down again,” Diana said.

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