TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Southeast Asia's leading ride-hailing platform Grab launched the first two-wheels social ride-sharing service, GrabHitch (Nebeng). GrabHitch offers door-to-door long-distance rides at the lowest fares to commuters living in the outskirts of Jakarta, such as Bekasi, Depok and Tangerang.

GrabHitch is a pre-scheduled motorbike hitch service that matches drivers who commute to work daily with passengers who are going in the same direction, allowing them to travel together.

The service aims to reduce the number of vehicles on the roads and alleviate traffic congestion in Jakarta. GrabHitch fills a gap in the market where there are limited low-fare door-to-door transport services from the outskirts to Jakarta city.

Ridzki Kramadibrata, Grab Indonesia Managing Director, said that based on Central Statistics Agency data, around 69.46 per cent of 1.38 million commuters who travel daily into the city center from the outskirts use private vehicles including cars and motorbikes, despite the peak hour traffic congestion.

"The public transport network connecting the outskirts of Jakarta to the city center is still being developed, yet it’s difficult to book services like taxis as most commercial drivers are concentrated in the city. GrabHitch helps to fill this gap by giving regular drivers the opportunity to 'carpool' or 'bike-pool' with passengers, making even more drivers available to cater to the morning and evening crowds," Ridzki said in a press release received by Tempo on Wednesday, October 19, 2016.

Ridzki added that GrabHitch is perfect for commuters who seek long-distance door-to-door ride with more affordable prices compared to bus or train fares, and the usual taxi fare.

MAHINDA ARKYASA