Ride Sharing Apps for Travelers in Indonesia

The Best Ridesharing Apps for Backpackers Traveling in Indonesia

Ride-sharing apps have become increasingly popular in Indonesia in recent years, providing a convenient and affordable alternative to traditional forms of transportation. Most travelers from the US, Europe, and Canada, are already comfortable with this model and enjoy being able to skip the language barriers and haggling that inevitably occur when you get into the back of a normal taxi. In this article, we will take a look at the different ride-sharing apps that we used while traveling in Indonesia and the features that they offer.

Go-Jek

The most popular ride-sharing app in Indonesia is Go-Jek. This app is a one-stop-shop for all your transportation needs, offering not only ride-hailing services but also food delivery, courier services, and even massages. Go-Jek has a wide range of vehicle options, from motorbikes to cars and even carpooling services. The app also allows users to pay for their rides using cash or through the Go-Pay digital wallet. Go-Jek is geared mainly towards locals, with the interface having a lot of issue with using English, not having a local phone number, and the drivers frequently call you to get pickup instructions only to find out you don’t speak Indonesian.

Grab

Another popular ride-sharing app in Indonesia is Grab. This app offers a similar range of services to Go-Jek, including ride-hailing, carpooling, and food delivery. Grab also has a rewards program called GrabRewards, which allows users to earn points for their rides and redeem them for discounts and other perks. The app also offers a range of payment options, including cash and various digital wallets. We frequently used Grab for rides but also for food while staying in Jakarta when we felt it was too late to safely roam the streets at night looking for food.

BlueBird Taxi

A newer entrant in the market is BlueBird taxi. The app is also working to make transportation more accessible to the people in Indonesia, BlueBird Taxi is a pioneer of the taxi industry in Indonesia. The app provides taxi service and limousine service in Jakarta, Bali, Surabaya, and Bandung. They have a variety of vehicles to choose from, including standard taxis, premium taxis, and limousines. BlueBird taxi also offers an online payment system that is easy to use.

Go-Car

Finally, there is also a local ride-hailing app called Go-Car, which is focused on providing car-hailing services. Go-Car allows users to book rides in advance and offers a range of vehicle options, including standard cars, luxury cars, and vans. The app also has a rewards program, Go-Points, which allows users to earn points for their rides and redeem them for discounts and other perks.

Uber

Uber is also an option while traveling in Indonesia, but it turned out to be somewhat controversial. There are taxi unions in place in Indonesia as well as the above apps are local companies who pay more taxes locally and therefor put more back into their own economy. Because of this, Uber drivers seemed to have a bad reputation and were actually not allowed to pick us up at the airports and other public locations within the country. Uber drivers would also always request that we meet them away from the actual locations if it was somewhere that local taxi drivers might be stationed. One Uber driver even had a busted windshield that he said he got from rival taxi drivers throwing rocks at his car. As long as you know this going into it, Uber is still a perfectly good option and we used it quite a bit just for the familiar app interface and pricing.

Ridesharing Options in Indonesia

In conclusion, ride-sharing apps have revolutionized the way travelers and tourists are able to move around while visiting Indonesia. With a variety of options available, users can choose the app that best suits their needs, whether it be for transportation, food delivery, or other services. With each app offering its own unique features, it’s worth trying out a few different apps to find the one that works best for you.