Indonesian ride-hailing unicorn Go-Jek is following up on earlier news of its US$500 million (IDR7 trillion) expansion into four countries with more concrete details of their launches into Southeast Asian neighbors Vietnam and Thailand, including the localized names the company will be using in these new markets.
Since the name Go-Jek is a play on the Indonesian word for motorcycle taxis (ojek) it is not surprising that the company and the “local founding management teams” it has set up in Vietnam and Thailand chose to go with different names in the new markets, but from the photos provided in their latest press release it seems they are also going for very different branding designs as well.
For Vietnam, that brand will be Go-Viet and according to Go-Jek it will be launching a beta testing phase in July involving a select number of drivers and consumers before ramping up to full launch in the next few months.
For Thailand, the company is going with the brand name Get (styled GET!) and the plan is for it to be launched soon after Go-Viet following “consultation with local stakeholders including government, drivers and consumers”.
Both Go-Viet and Get will initially launch with ride-hailing and on-demand logistics services before adding food delivery and payments (services known locally in Indonesia as Go-Food and Go-Pay).
Go-Jek is also planning new operations in Singapore and the Philippines, although the localized names of these expansions and prospective launch dates have not yet been announced.
Go-Jek’s ambitious regional expansion plans follows the exit of western ride-hailing giant Uber from Southeast Asia. The Indonesian company will be competing with regional rival Grab in both Thailand and Vietnam, as well as numerous local companies.
This will be the first test of whether Go-Jek’s success in Indonesia can translate into foreign markets, but with a massive US$500 million warchest worth of funding from the likes of Astra International, Tencent, Google and Temasek set aside to fund this expansion, Go-Jek seems ready for the long-haul.
