When Uber – the company behind the well-known car booking app that’s expanding rapidly across the globe – launched its services in Jakarta last August, it immediately met with resistance from the provincial government. Shortly after its launch, Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama declared Uber illegal because it was unlicensed and unsafe (accusations that Uber immediately shot back at).
Despite those early warnings, including threats that the government would try to block the Uber app from working in Jakarta, the company has been operating in the Indonesian capital for 7 months now, even launching its low cost UberX service along the way.
Today, however, Governor Ahok reiterated his months old statement that Uber was operating illegally.
“We will see later, it is still banned from operating in Jakarta,” Ahok said at City Hall this morning, as quoted by Vivanews.
Vivanews also said that Ahok promised to take immediate action to enforce the ban, but no further details were given.
We find it a bit strange that Ahok continues to have a problem with Uber, considering it has operated without incident for so many months now.
He has also recently embraced another vehicle booking service, ojek ordering app Go-Jek, saying he wants to incorporate it into the city’s transportation system. So we’re not sure why he seems intent on denying the city of another much needed transportation option. But we’ll have to wait and see if any actions are actually taken against the company this time.
