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Local taxi companies get lift from Bluebird
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ith the rise of technological advancement in Indonesia, it is important to note that digitalization plays a large part in elevating local businesses. However, the impact can become a barrier for some who are unable to keep up with the transformation. In this regard, educational programs must be implemented to ensure that no one is left behind.
PT Blue Bird Tbk has always had a presence in Indonesia as the leading provider of mobility solutions since its inception, and has stayed true to the values inherited from the company’s founders to realize the company’s goal; to develop the country through the sharing of happiness.
Kawan Bluebird, an initiative under the Bluebird Sustainability pillar, BlueLife, focuses on the company’s contribution to developing the country through social and community action. The program is a form of commitment to care for local taxi operators and to provide benefits to the community.
This initiative is aimed at assisting the development of land transportation in several regions so that it can maintain job opportunities and support programs in areas that seek to save local transportation businesses. Moreover, President Director of PT Blue Bird Tbk, Adrianto Djokosoetono, revealed that Kawan Bluebird is a concrete manifestation of commitment to building strong partnerships with local transportation in several regions.
"Bluebird believes that local transportation has a crucial role in supporting community mobility and local economic growth. Through the Kawan Bluebird initiative, we strive to provide real solutions and contributions in developing the local transportation sector to be better, more efficient and sustainable, for the benefit of society and the overall growth of the transportation industry," explained Adrianto.
Through this initiative, Bluebird aims to provide training and education to taxi drivers to improve their skills, service quality and knowledge of the latest technology. The company will also provide easier financial and credit assistance for local taxi drivers so they can access more modern and efficient vehicles. It is hoped that through the education, the local drivers will be able to compete with online transportation services that are available.
The competition between local taxi services and online transportation services have been felt in many regions. In Yogyakarta, it is estimated that traditional taxi companies suffered losses and went bankrupt, due to being unable to compete with online taxis during the period of 2016 to 2019.
One of the taxi companies that was struggling at that time was the Pataga Multipurpose Cooperative (KSU), a company that was founded in 1985. In addition to losing customers, they were also losing drivers. It was revealed that taxi operators were losing money and many had resorted to sell their assets, as a result of the drastic decline in the number of drivers at that time.
He has analogized the rise of the online taxi phenomenon to a hurricane and a tsunami, admitting that the impact was even worse than the economic crisis. He further revealed that out of 59 taxi units with 80 drivers, only 25 units survived as the others fled. One of the online taxi providers have also invited Pataga to join in the past. However, they chose not to because there was no clarity between the rights and obligations of both parties.
In order to be able to compete and continue the business, KSU Pataga are trying to implement digital transformation through collaboration with an information technology development service provider, with an application called NAXI. The application, which aims to provide easy service for Pataga taxi service users, can be easily found on Google Playstore via smartphone.
However, the application still has to undergo some changes, as most users found it quite difficult to operate. Through the Kawan Bluebird program, Pataga has found a solution that fits them best, as the company looks to a better future for the taxi company.
"At this moment, we have the potential to develop and return to being a trusted fleet to operate at airports, stations and other locations. In essence, now everything is heading back to normal and Pataga has managed to record very good profits per month thanks to cooperation with Kawan Bluebird," he said.
The program was built to promote operational cooperation with local regional taxis in several provinces in Indonesia with the long-term aim of reviving the local taxi industry in the country. Through this program, Bluebird targets increasing the number of areas and/or the number of local taxi partners by up to three areas per year.
The same thing was felt by Rina Rini's taxi in Kota Kembang, Bandung. Once almost closed, the taxi operator has managed to revive itself with help from the Kawan Bluebird partnership system.
Furthermore, Bluebird also supports the development of local transportation in the West Java region, as it was appointed as a strategic partner of PT Jasa Sarana, a West Java Regional-Owned Enterprises (BUMD). The company was tasked with building a better mobility system in the region.
“The opening up of mobility opens up opportunities for land transportation to revive. Therefore, we strive to have a positive impact on land transportation partners so they can grow and develop with Bluebird. We hope that this year, in the midst of good business development, Bluebird can attract more and more partners to jointly advance the transportation sector," concluded Adrianto.
This content is in partnership with Bluebird
