As part of its ongoing efforts to take over the world, Uber, the company behind the well-known taxi app, opened up offices throughout Asia last year. It launched its services in Jakarta jus last August (although here it’s technically a “private car calling” app, an important distinction due to the goverment backlash the company faced when it first came to the Indonesian capital).
While there has been no word of a resolution in Uber’s battle against the city’s bureaucracy, the company has spent its first 6 months making itself a valuable addition to the capital’s transportation options (in fact, we named the Uber app one of the 24 best apps for living in Jakarta).
But one of Uber’s problems here has been its price. Before, it only offered its UberBlack service in Jakarta, which utilized luxury cars and a pricing system that put them in the same leagues as premium taxi options like Silver Birds.
Today though, Uber launched their cheaper alternative service, UberX, which uses less luxurious cars but is priced at a rate significantly lower than regular taxis.
UberX’s base fare starts is Rp 3,000, with an additional Rp 300 per minute and Rp 2,001 per kilometer. That is quite a bit cheaper that Blue Bird taxis, which start with a base fare of Rp 7,500 with an additional rate of Rp 4,000 per kilometer.
In an interview with the Jakarta Globe, Michael Brown, Uber’s general manager for Southeast Asia, said that price didn’t include the usual 20 percent commission Uber usually charged drivers in the hopes of getting new customers hooked on their service. But he did not say how long the cheap rate would last.
Also, keep in mind that part of Uber’s business model is to change the price of their cars based on market demand. So if you want to hail an UberX car during rush hour, you may have to pay quite a bit more.
So take advantage of this rate now, while you can.
For more info on Uber in Jakarta, you can check out https://www.uber.com/cities/jakarta. You can also find the download link for the Uber app in our article “24 free smartphone apps that will make your life in Jakarta easier and awesomer!”
