Uber's Official Statement Responding to the Ridesharing Service Demonstration

The occurrence of large-scale demonstrations by taxi and other public transport drivers in Jakarta, rejecting the existence of application-based transportation services has become one of the major upheavals in the order of the country's technology industry. The Uber team in Indonesia felt the same way. Through its official statement, the Uber team has given its official statement regarding the response to the action.

In the release we received, the Uber team wrote:

"This week we are deeply saddened by the incidents of violence and destruction that have occurred in Indonesia and we also sympathize with the families affected by these events. Our users and driver-partners have come together to support the city of Jakarta. We are working closely with Mr. M. Iqbal, Head of Public Relations and Mr. Mamat Surahmat, Director of Intelligence and Security, from Polda Metro Jaya to make an announcement to calm all driver-partners, and we have also deactivated crowded prices (surge) to help people get to their destinations safely, reliably and affordably."

The Uber team is also currently continuing negotiations with the Minister of Transportation Ignasius Jonan, the Minister of Communication and Information Rudiantara and the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Panjahitan to ensure compliance with regulations in Indonesia.

Until now, Uber claims to have fulfilled regulatory requirements as an application-based service, in the form of:

• Build cooperation with official rental companies or cooperatives.
• Ensure that all vehicles have passed the Vehicle Feasibility Test (KIR) and get a KIR certificate.
• Ensure all drivers have a Driving License (SIM A General).

"We remain committed to working with the Government to ensure the full benefits of ridesharing for both users and drivers are available to anyone and everywhere," concluded the Uber team.

From the previous demonstration, the demands of taxi drivers were about the far lower meter applied (due to the passage of Uber and similar services from administration as public transportation), route limits, and KIR licensing. Market regulation related to sharing economy it is still a complicated problem, not only in Indonesia, but also in other countries.