Resting: Drivers of app-based online motorcycle taxi services rest under a tree on Jl
The Transportation Ministry made a quick turnaround on a recent policy it issued that banned smartphone application-based public transportation services, following orders made by President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo on Friday.
The ministry announced on Thursday a ban on applications such as Go-Jek and GrabBike because they used ojek (motorcycle taxis), which were not suitable public transportation according to Law No. 22/2009 on traffic and land transportation.
However, Minister Ignasius Jonan backtracked on the policy a day later following public uproar and concern expressed by Jokowi, even though the law indeed stipulates that two-wheeled vehicles cannot be used as public transportation.
'The reality is there is a wide gap between available public transportation and its ability to provide adequate services. This gap is covered by ojek, and more recently, by application-based transport such as Go-Jek, among others. Due to this, ojek and other application-based public transportation can continue to operate as a solution until adequate public transportation is available,' he said at his office.
Although the application-based services have been allowed to continue, Jonan emphasized that the policy was originally issued due to safety concerns as stipulated by the 2009 law.
'I was not the one who made the law. The problem right now is, why are [motorcycles] being turned into public transportation vehicles when they are unsuitable from a safety point of view,' he said.
Jonan did not answer when asked why the new policy was only signed last month when self-employed ojek drivers had ruled the streets for years. Instead, he emphasized that Go-Jek had not been registered with any transportation agency.
'I have already asked the transportation agency. [Go-Jek] does not have a permit. The issue is not the application,' he said.
Go-Jek, among other application-based public services such as GrabBike and Blu-Jek, has enjoyed immense popularity in the past year after launching Android and iOS apps. Users can order ojek to transport them around the city or to deliver items. Furthermore, drivers can be tracked with the application's GPS.
Following news of the policy, Jokowi quickly came out in support of the public's furore and tweeted, 'I will immediately summon the transport minister. Ojek are needed by society. We should not let regulations make life difficult for people. It must be managed.'
Later on, the President reiterated his statement and said that the people's interests must be prioritized. He explained his view that the government should issue regulations that suit existing conditions, and suggested a transitional regulation might be introduced in the future once the country's more-than-two-wheeled public transportation was adequate and comfortable.
'I think that people will naturally choose,' he said at the Bogor Palace in West Java.
Jokowi cited Go-Jek as an example of the country's youth attempting to develop new ideas and innovations. 'Don't let it curb innovation,' he said.
National Police chief Gen. Badrodin Haiti acknowledged on Friday that he had known of the ministry's policy for the past three months but found it difficult to enact as the public found those modes of transportation useful and cheap.
'We realized that Go-Jek has become a need and we suggested first raising awareness that riding ojek can be unsafe, especially if they do not provide insurance,' he said.
Go-Jek chief executive officer Nadiem Makarim thanked Jokowi for revoking the ban on application-based public transportation. He also thanked Go-Jek users who lambasted the policy and supported the company on social media.
'Because of you, the families of more than 200,000 [Go-Jek] drivers have their welfare ensured. This positive decision is proof of the people's prosperity. We call on all Go-Jek users and drivers to celebrate Jokowi and JK's [Vice President Jusuf Kalla] decision through social media with #GoRakyat [#GoPeople],' he said in a statement.
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