TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) lauded the government`s warning to online taxi operators. The Transportation Ministry has threatened to suspend online taxi licenses if they fail to guarantee the safety of their passengers.

”From our perspective, the protection of passengers' safety and comfort is not only the drivers' responsibility—but also the application provider," YLKI secretary Agus Suyanto said on November 8.

The threat came after a Grab driver was reported to have sexually harassed a passenger. An online petition was soon posted to change.org asking for the government to suspend Grab's operating license, citing that similar cases had happened before.

YLKI hopes for a comprehensive solution over these types of cases. Agus asked Grab not to focus on its business only—recruiting as many drivers as possible but neglecting the safety and comfort of its consumers.

Read: Transportation Ministry to Soon Ratify Online Taxi Regulation

"If they keep making this mistake, it is understandable if the government reviews their operating license. The government must be able to determine how far they can tolerate violations, as a reference to give sanctions," he remarked.

On Monday, director general of land transportation Budi Setiyadi said the Transportation Ministry will give a warning and conduct an evaluation to be used "as a consideration by the Communication and Informatics Ministry to revoke the app provider's license."

Budi asserted that when an operator cannot ensure the safety of its passengers, then the first thing to do is suspend their operating license.

Read: Online Ojek Driver Arrested on Suspicion of Selling Marijuana

Budi said he was upset and will take a firmer action, as this particular case had happened repeatedly.

"I've spoken quite frequently with the operators (Grab and Go-Jek) and they had promised to train their drivers. But the cases continue to happen," he said.

ANTARA