Homegrown ride-hailing app Gojek, together with the Anak Bangsa Bisa Foundation (ABBF) , distributed 200,000 Partner Family Assistance Packages consisting of the nine basic commodities (Sembako) to ease the burden on the daily costs of driver partners during the COVID-19 pandemic. This initiative is part of the “12 Driver Partner Welfare Program”, which Gojek announced on March 31.
The packages are distributed to 200,000 Gojek drivers partners in the form of digital vouchers worth Rp 100,000 each, or a total value of Rp 20 billion. The vouchers are distributed through Gojek’s driver partner application and can be used to buy staple goods such as rice, sugar, cooking oil and instant noodles across all Alfamart outlets in Indonesia.
“We introduced the Partner Family Assistance Package program to ease financial burdens and to help partner families meet their basic daily needs. We are carrying out this program with Alfamart’s support; their extensive network spread throughout Indonesia enables us to reach hundreds of thousands of our driver partners," said Gojek's co-CEO, Andre Soelistyo, also acting as the board of trustees of ABBF.
Andre also added, "Gojek's priority is to support driver partners through this challenging time. Gojek has carried out various initiatives focusing on three main areas that have the most impact on the survival of the driver partners which are: maintaining health and safety, easing financial burdens and income assistance. We continue to carry out various efforts to ensure our partners stay healthy, safe and are able to meet their daily needs."
In addition to the Gojek and ABBF staple goods programs, Alfamart also provides assistance to Gojek driver partners through the "Alfamart Serving Indonesia" program. This program is in the form of 30,000 digital vouchers worth Rp 50,000 with a total value of Rp 1.5 billion.
Alfamart corporate affairs director Solihin said, "The assistance for Gojek driver partners is part of a series of programs under the Alfamart Serving Indonesia, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gojek driver partners are among those affected by COVID-19 pandemic, as the majority of the community must work from home and implement physical distancing, therefore impacting their income. This assistance will be distributed to Gojek drivers who really need support," explained Solihin.
Alfamart's support in the form of a digital food voucher worth Rp 1.5 billion consists of funds amounting to Rp 1 billion from Alfamart consumers’ donation in cooperation with four foundations, namely BMCI Rp 500 million, Lazismu Rp 250 million, NU Care-LazisNu Rp 150 million and Mizan Amanah Rp 100 million. While an additional Rp 500 million is from Alfamart’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund.
In addition to the staple goods voucher program, to help reduce the daily expenses of its driver partners, since last March, Gojek has distributed more than 4,000 food packages to elderly driver partners in a number of large cities. Gojek has also distributed 1 million meal vouchers every week to driver partners to buy affordable food packages from thousands of micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) merchants.
To further assist driver partners, Gojek has also launched the National Culinary Day (Harkulnas) program to increase MSME merchant sales, which also help boost order levels for driver partners during COVID-19. For programs that involve consumers, Gojek has also made adjustments in the application by adding further tipping options so that Gojek customers can provide tips of up to Rp 100,000, which are channeled directly to partners’ e-wallet.
To safeguard their health and safety, Gojek has also distributed hundreds of thousands of health packages to driver partners, which consist of masks and hand sanitizer. This package distribution is still ongoing in various cities in Indonesia to ensure partners can continue to stay active healthy.
