It was almost exactly one year ago that Blue Bird taxi drivers were seen taking part in violent riots in Jakarta as part of a protest against ride-hailing companies like Go-Jek. Now, the two industry giants have reconciled their differences and teamed up to launch a new feature together, the aptly named Go-Blue Bird.
Users have already been able to hail Blue Bird taxis using Go-Jek’s Go-Car feature. But with Go-Car, passengers get randomly assigned either a Blue Bird taxi or a private car depending on which is closer to their pick up location. Either way, passengers are charged a predetermined fare by distance, which can be paid by cash or using the Go-Pay e-payment system.
With Go-Blue Bird, passengers can specifically hail Blue Bird taxis and are charged according to the taxi’s meter.
“Each feature has their advantages,” said Blue Bird Director Adrianto Djokosoetono, as quoted by Sindonews during Go-Blue Bird’s launch in Jakarta today.
The differences may not be so great for long, as the Transportation Ministry’s Regulation no. 32/2016, set to be enforced on April 1, is expected to force ride-hailing services to charge the same prices as taxi fares.
Go-Blue Bird is being rolling out to Go-Jek app users in Jabodetabek, Bandung, Semarang, Surabaya, and Medan. It is currently available on Android devices, with availability on iOS devices expected soon.
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