The first thing that he does is to make sure that his motorcycle is in working order and mobile phone is charged because they are vital in his profession as a GrabBike driver-partner.

As an ojek (motorcycle taxi) driver, Deddy Haryanto spends over 10 hours on the road. He leaves his house early in the morning, picks up and takes different passengers to their respective destinations every day, except on weekends, and goes home at about 8 p.m.

“The number of orders from customers fluctuates, depending on the situation and conditions, whether it’s the dry or rainy season. But on average, I transport about 20 passengers per day,” he says.

Born in Jakarta, Deddy is familiar with the densely populated capital, notorious for its traffic congestion and the absence of an adequate transportation system. Exposure to the polluted air, heat, wind and rain are among the risks that he and other ojek drivers have to take.

But it is through his current profession that luck is on his side. The 51-year-old GrabBike driver-partner recently won Grab’s #ImpianUmrahItuDekat program award, enabling him to go on umrah (minor haj), a religious event that he has been dreaming of for a long time.

Deddy says that one day he received a phone call from Grab’s office, leading him to wonder “what mistakes have I made?”

He adds that he did not know why Grab contacted him until he came to the office where he was informed that he had won the award.

“I was dumbfounded for moment and my eyes were wet with tears of joy after hearing the news,” Deddy says. “I am grateful to Allah […] I thank to Grab for giving me the opportunity to go on umrah.”

He says that his wife and his two children were delighted after hearing the news and gave him their full support. “Such an award can drive us to work more passionately,” he added, commenting on the positive impact of the program on the drivers.

Grab Partners Welfare (Grab Mitra Sejahtera)

Deddy was one of the best 60 GrabBike driver-partners selected to fly to Mecca in early January 2019 to go on the nine-day umrah for free under the company’s #ImpianUmrahItuDekat program.

The program kicked off in October 2018. To date, 125 driver-partners from Jakarta, Bandung, Medan, Surabaya, Makassar, Yogyakarta and Semarang have been given the opportunity to go on umrah.

The program will continue until May, bringing the number to 200.

The #ImpianUmrahItuDekat program is part of Grab Mitra Sejahtera (Grab Partners Welfare), which aims to improve the welfare of driver-partners and their families. A range of initiatives have been taken in this regard, including those related to education, health services, financial services, social life and job-supporting facilities.

Doing the best

Deddy joined Grab in 2015 when the company rolled out its service in Indonesia, with Jakarta being its first base of operations.

Working as a GrabBike driver was only a side job because he still worked at a pharmaceutical company in its marketing department. “But after working as a driver for six months, I found that it was better than to my job as a marketer in terms of income.

“The income I get as a GrabBike driver entirely depends on me. If I work hard and diligently, I’ll get more. This prompted me to work for Grab,” he says.

As time went by, Deddy’s passion for the job continued to grow, especially after finding out that Grab’s policies had the welfare of Grab driver-partners in mind.

He never wasted the opportunity to perform well, with his motto being: Doing the best, which, he says, opened the door to unexpected blessings and luck.

“I think doing the best requires one to work seriously, sincerely and honestly,” says Deddy who is also on Grab’s elite driver list.

Doing the best as a driver means that “I have to make sure that my customers feel comfortable, convenient and safe”, he says.

That is why he pays attention to customers’ comfort and safety, such as making sure that the front and back tires are inflated and that the brakes are in working order. “The tires must have enough air and the brakes must work well,” he says.

“With an average of 20 passengers per day, my motorcycle can cover about 100 kilometers. This means that I have to pay attention to the amount of engine oil I use because if I run out it could damage the engine.

“Therefore, I replace the oil once every two weeks as I do not want to wait until the engine is damaged,” Deddy says, adding that he also has the engine checked once every two months.

And when it comes to service, Deddy says he has to be friendly and patient in dealing with customers, who also include foreign nationals.

“For safety’s sake, I ask every passenger to wear a helmet and lock it properly.

“I always smile when I greet foreign customers and I always say thank you when I reach their destination,” he points out.

As part of the good service, Deddy says he also has to find alternative routes to prevent passengers from spending more time on the road, which might make them uncomfortable.

 “When it rains, I always offer them a raincoat to wear,” he adds.

But dong the best also requires him to stay fit and healthy. To do so, he tries to have his meals on time, regularly drinking water and doing regular exercises on weekends.

“I drink a lot of fresh water because I spend a lot of time sitting on my motorcycle. You know that not drinking fresh water regularly will affect your kidneys,” he says. 

Deddy’s motto of doing the best has earned him his just reward under Grab’s #ImpianUmrahItuDekat program. Winning it has resulted in him becoming more patient, which is one of the requirements that drivers should have.

“When meeting other drivers during my lunch break, I share my experiences and encourage them to do their best in order to win the #ImpianUmrahItuDekat program award,” he says.

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