In its first breaths, the appeal of signing up as an online driver under applications such as GO-JEK or Grab is that it is ultimately self-employment. It was marketed that way, and make no mistake, they definitely held up to the claim. There was no rigid framework to follow, like in terms of working hours, for example. You can clock in and out whenever you prefer. The general flexibility of the job was what invited many people to give it a try. So, when you sign up to become one, you’re not classified as an employee; instead, you’re a business partner. The amount of money you receive is not from a fixed salary every month, but it depends on how many orders or deliveries you complete, as well as your performance. For a while, this wasn’t a problem at all. If anything, this was what led so many people to sign up. In 2015, news of GO-JEK’s drivers being able to accumulate 15 million rupiah per month took the application to new heights of popularity (Simangunsong, 2023). From here on out, it was smooth sailing, even with the entrance of Grab into the Indonesian market. Actually, these two platforms gained popularity not only among those who were signing up to become drivers but also in the volume of customers starting to use the service in their everyday lives—further cementing the apps’ presence in the trajectory of Indonesian society and the digital economy.
Now, a decade later, how does this all hold up? The notions of flexibility and business partnership that were once its strongest appeal are now being scrutinized due to the platform’s failure to address the deliberate neglect of the drivers’ aspirations and well-being. What’s happening now is different from 2015; back then, drivers were able to accumulate up to more than 3 million rupiah every week. Today, due to the high app commissions, it is difficult to even get to 100 thousand rupiah a day—as testified by Sri Damiyah, who has been a GO-JEK driver since its initial boom in 2015 (BBC News Indonesia, 2025). To add on to this, a survey conducted by IDEAS in 2023 showed that most drivers only earn 200 thousand rupiah every day; this number is then subjected to cover not only operational costs such as fuel and food but also platform commission. These platform commissions differ from app to app, but the survey showed that more than half of respondents have to cut up to 20% of their daily earnings to pay app commissions. To be fair, 20% is still in line with the Decree of the Minister of Transportation No. 1001 of 2022 for the platform commission regulation. But that’s exactly it—this is the bitter reality that these drivers have to face. Any percentage higher than 20% will be even more detrimental to their earnings. The two leading apps in Indonesia, GO-JEK and Grab, have claimed to never go above the agreed percentage (Fauzi, 2025).
However, the demonstrations earlier this year in May told a different story. What tends to happen is that the commissions are randomly hiked up without notifying the drivers (Puspa, 2024). The irony is that the drivers are classified and given the title of ‘partners’ but are not being treated as such. In business terms, if you’re partners, then it implies an equal footing, right? This means in every decision, both parties should be involved in the discussions taking place. Unfortunately, the app companies often operate without the drivers’ involvement. Whether it be in suddenly hiking up app commission way past the 20% or suspending their accounts without giving any room for dialogue with the drivers themselves. No matter how you look at it, the drivers always get the short end of the stick. One of the main demands in the demonstrations is actually related to the urgency to become classified as permanent employees in order for the drivers to be subject to workers’ rights and clear legal protection (BBC News Indonesia, 2025). The drivers seem to no longer see value in the ‘flexible’ partnership model, as it fails to offer them any tangible benefits. The companies that constantly hide behind the guise of flexibility to justify their misconduct should be shamed. While this issue is unfolding in Indonesia, it should serve as a wake-up call to gig economy stakeholders around the world. The struggle of online drivers in Indonesia reflects a growing concern with how digital platforms are shaping labor—raising urgent questions about regulation, worker rights, and economic justice in the new global digital economy terrains.
If drivers are expected to fuel the digital economy, then it’s time they receive more than empty promises disguised as flexibility. They deserve rights, protections, and a seat at the table.
