When Alexander “Alex” Hogiono, a Gojek driver since 2019, and his wife were married a decade ago, they opened a special savings account with the goal of one day purchasing a home. Sadly, the money they had saved over the years had to be used to sustain them during the pandemic. Little did they know that in 2022 their dream of owning a house would come true.
Driver partner anticipation and excitement was high when on Nov. 8, PT GoTo Gojek Tokopedia (GoTo), together with PT Bank Tabungan Negara (Persero), Perum Perumnas and the Public Works and Housing Ministry, launched the subsidized home ownership credit program (KPR) in greater Surakarta.
To mark the special occasion, a new house ownership signing ceremony was held with dozens of Gojek driver-partners, including Alex Hogiono, who is now the proud owner of a house in Perumnas Samesta Jeruksawit, Karanganyar.
"What an incredible year 2022 has been. This is the year we were finally gifted a baby after ten years of marriage, and now we have been blessed with a home too,” said Alex, full of emotion, to journalists in greater Surakarta on Thursday (11/10/2022).
Alex, who previously worked at a bank, shared that his job as a Gojek partner driver was considered an informal role and that he did not meet the criteria required for many mortgage plans.
However, through the subsidized home ownership credit program, the administrative process was very easy. His partner performance history at Gojek was verified, and he made a down payment of Rp 2 million and moved into the new home immediately.
Alex shared that he liked everything about the home ownership program, from the strategic location and the good quality houses to the automatic daily balance deduction system from the partner's wallet, which helped to facilitate monthly mortgage payments.
Donny Eko Prasetyo, also a Gojek driver since 2019, said he had been rejected several times in the past because of his status as an informal worker. Donny, who is the eldest sibling and the official breadwinner of his family, which includes an adopted nephew, was overjoyed by signing for his new home.
“Three years as a Gojek partner driver, who would have thought that I could have a house because of my job,” he said.
Gojek head of Indonesin regions Gede Manggala shared how the subsidized home ownership credit program was part of the company’s ongoing commitment to increase the standards of living for driver partners and their families beyond a basic income based on three main pillars: reducing daily operational costs for partners, protecting driver partners and families with direct insurance programs and driver partner livelihood enhancement through training initiatives and access to financial services.
Gede Manggala said, “The subsidized home ownership credit program helps to significantly reduce the barriers our driver partners face in having a better life. We appreciate the close collaboration with Bank BTN, Perumnas and KemenPUPR, our strategic partners who are supporting the improvement of the living standards of Gojek driver partners. Gojek is very proud to be a part of this initiative because it is an important part of realizing the dreams of our driver partners,"
To date a dozen Gojek driver partners in the Greater Surakarta area have met the criteria set by Bank BTN, as the mortgage provider, Perumnas, as the home developer and the Public Works and Housing Ministry, which is providing the subsidies, to benefit from the subsidized home ownership credit program.
Under the subsidized home ownership credit program the houses provided are type 27/60, which means the building is 27 square meters on 60 sq m of land and consists of two bedrooms, a bathroom, a family room and a kitchen. Valued at approximately Rp 140 million, the program provides driver partners with a Rp 40 million subsidy under the government's BP2BT program. For driver partners, a down payment of Rp 2 million is required and monthly installments start at Rp 885,000.
Herry Trisaputra Zuna, director general of public works and housing infrastructure financing, said, “The collaboration between Gojek, BTN, Perumnas and the Public Works and Housing Ministry to launch the BTN KPR program with the BP2BT scheme for Gojek driver partners is a concrete initiative that encourages the ownership of livable and affordable houses for informal sector workers. This program is a part of our strategy to accelerate the distribution of subsidized mortgages, especially BP2BT mortgages, to low-income participants working in the informal sector,"
Gede Manggala highlighted that the subsidized home ownership credit program, in addition to other initiatives in the Gojek Swadaya program, would reach other regions of Indonesia to support more Gojek driver partners in reaching their dreams and increasing their standards of living.
