It’s been awhile since we heard any news about the battle between traditional ojek motorcycle taxi drivers and app-based motorcycle taxi services like Go-Jek. But yesterday, their rivalry reared its ugly head again in Depok.
A Go-Jek driver and an ojek driver reportedly got into an argument over who had the right to pick up a passenger at the University of Indonesia (UI) campus. The situation escalated when the ojek driver supposedly kicked the Go-Jek driver.
Soon after, hundreds of other Go-jek and ojek drivers arrived at the scene and a massive brawl ensued. Luckily, UI students and security guards arrived just in time to break up the brawl before it turned too violent.
Mukhtar, who claims to be one of the leaders of a group of ojek drivers stationed at the UI campus, said the argument was initiated because the Go-Jek driver did not respect boundaries previously imposed by ojek drivers.
“If possible, Go-Jek drivers shouldn’t pick up passengers from UI anymore. This was all a misunderstanding. One of our peers reprimanded [the Go-Jek driver], but he didn’t kick him,” said Mukhtar, as quoted by Vivanews.
The Depok Police are investigating into the matter even though no arrests were made.
While it’s no longer widely reported, we know that many such boundaries set by ojek drivers looking to protect their turf still exist in and around the capital. But it also looks like app-based motorcycle taxi services are not too affected by them, as their presence is becoming more and more normalized throughout Jakarta.
