YLKI Suggests App-Based Taxi Services becoming a Necessity

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) urged the government to provide an alternative public transportation that is practical, comfortable, and affordable following the ban on app-based taxi-hailing services.

“Online application-based transportation is something that cannot be held back anymore,” said YLKI Secretary Agus Suyatno on Wednesday, October 11.

Agus explained that the demand for app-based taxi services have skyrocketed and questions why the West Java government decided to ban it completely rather than regulating it, one of it could be done by issuing minimum service standards for public transportation.

Read: Go-Jek CEO Responds to Govt Regulation on Taxi Fares and Quota

The West Java government banned any form of application based taxi services after an agreement was made between the West Java Transportation Agency and the Wadah Aliansi Aspirasi Transportasi (WAAT) of West Java.

The agreement between both parties was also backed by Bandung Mayor Ridwan Kamil who uploaded the agreement in its text form to his personal Instagram account.

Furthermore, Agus revealed one of the reasons why app-based transportation services are so popular. He argues that it is caused by the government’s inability to provide a transportation service that fits the needs of society. According to a poll by YLKI, the majority of society prefers to use app-based taxi-hailing services for its affordability and the level of comfort it offers.

Caesar Akbar