TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Transport Workers Union (SPAI) is set to hold a mass demonstration on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, bringing together online motorcycle taxi (ojol) drivers, online taxi drivers, and couriers from across the country.
Alongside on-the-ground protests in several regions, SPAI is also calling for a mass shutdown of ride-hailing and delivery applications as part of the action.
"This mass off-bid action is a form of protest against the unfeasible work conditions faced by ojol drivers, which continue to exploit the workforce," said SPAI Chairperson Lily Pujiati in a statement released on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
Lily highlighted that ojol drivers are facing increasingly poor working conditions. For instance, drivers only earn Rp5,200 for food deliveries while customers are charged Rp18,000 by the platform
"From this, it's clear that the platform is profiting by squeezing the sweat of ojol drivers," she said.
SPAI is backing calls to reduce the commission taken by platforms to 10 percent or remove it altogether. The organization is also urging app-based companies to adopt fair and transparent pricing models for transporting passengers, goods, and food.
"Not only that, we also support the removal of discriminatory schemes or programs that prioritize certain ojol drivers, thereby denying equal work opportunities to others," Lily added.
She cited several examples of such programs, including GrabBike Hemat, Gojek’s aceng (argo goceng) scheme, slot and hub systems in ShopeeFood, and priority algorithms used by Maxim, InDrive, Lalamove, Borzo, Deliveree, and others.
Lily also urged the Ministry of Manpower to introduce clear regulations to safeguard the rights of ojol drivers. "So that platform companies do not act arbitrarily toward their drivers," she said.
In parallel, the Indonesian Ojol Drivers Association, Garda Indonesia, has called on the government to respond to the growing frustration among drivers who feel abandoned amid alleged violations of labor regulations by platform companies.
The regulation in question is the Ministry of Transportation Decree Number KP 1001 of 2022, an amendment to Decree KP 667 of 2022, which outlines guidelines for calculating ride-hailing motorcycle fares.
The decree, signed by then Director General of Land Transportation Hendro Sugiatno in Jakarta on November 22, 2022, caps platform commissions at 20 percent. However, some platforms are reportedly deducting up to 50 percent. In response, approximately 500,000 ojol drivers are expected to mobilize for a major protest.
"Garda Indonesia, as the Ojol Drivers Association, apologizes to residents of Jakarta and the surrounding Jabodetabek area (Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi), because on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, the capital will be crowded with a mass rally and reunion of two and four-wheeled online drivers in Aksi Akbar 205," said Raden Igun Wicaksono, General Chairman of Garda Indonesia, in a statement quoted by Antara.
Raden stated that the protest will also involve ojol drivers from various regions, including Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, Cirebon, Greater Banten, Lampung, and Palembang.
Aksi Akbar 205 will begin at 01:00 PM local time. and continue until completion, with demonstrations centered on three key locations: the Presidential Palace (Istana Merdeka), the Ministry of Transportation, and the House of Representatives.
Additional support will come from several driver alliances, such as the United Online Drivers Alliance (APOB), GoGrabber Indonesia, Special Team Against Robbers (Tekab) Indonesia, Ojol Activist Voices Indonesia (Sakoi), and the Sons and Daughters of the Native Kalimantan Ojek Online Movement (Geppak). The protest is expected to unfold simultaneously in nearly all major Indonesian cities, involving hundreds of thousands of two- and four-wheeled ojol drivers.
Around 500,000 online motorcycle taxi drivers are projected to join the movement, either by taking to the streets or switching off their apps. Major protest hubs will include Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, Semarang, Solo, Medan, Manado, Makassar, Ambon, Palembang, and Balikpapan.
Adil Al Hasan contributed to the writing of this article.
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