Despite the tensions and conflicts that have marred their emergence, application-based ride-hailing services have helped improve people’s connectivity and offered huge business opportunities, experts say.

Medis Sejahtera Surbakti, a transportation observer from the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of North Sumatra’s School of Engineering, said nowadays everything was connected by the internet and app-based services had made it much easier for people to carry out their activities.

“We are waiting for a cashless platform to be implemented in Indonesia – how operators are connected to each other in a system that can connect them in a real-time payment system so that it would be easier for people to move,” he said.

Medis was speaking in a discussion called “Effective transportation and the role of media in Industrial Era 4.0” that was jointly held by the Indonesian Women's Journalists Forum (FJPI) and ride-hailing app GoJek at Penang Corner Medan on Saturday.

Read also: (GoJek to start services in Singapore, Thailand, Philippines)

Medan Transportation Agency head Suriono said the authorities aimed to make transportation services more effective. He admitted that online-based transportation had triggered a dilemma.

However, Suriono said, many innovations had been developed in the field of transportation.

“We must follow technology. If we look at the benefits of online transportation, society gets many positive impacts,” said Suriono.

“There are many business opportunities that can be obtained from app-based transportation services. They support society. It has been proven in North Sumatra, where many UMKM [micro, small and medium business] players have used these services and seen their businesses become successful,” FJPI secretary-general Khairiah Lubis said. (ebf)