Female Ride-Hailing Driver Joins May Day at Monas, Complains About Up to 40% Platform Cuts

Novita Meliana Pratiwi (42), a ride-hailing driver from Pademangan, North Jakarta, claims that deductions from the platform can reach around 40 per cent. She experiences this from a combination of per-order cuts and other additional fees.

“If you calculate it all, it’s more than 20 per cent. Around 40 per cent more or less. Honestly, it’s really tough for us,” said Novita at Monas on Friday (1/5/2026).

Novita arrived with 10 fellow ride-hailing drivers from the North Jakarta area. They set off on their own motorbikes from early morning to voice their aspirations during the May Day event.

“There are 11 people from Pademangan. We all focus on ride-hailing, no side jobs,” she stated.

She explained that besides the around 20 per cent cut from each order, drivers are also charged additional fees of about Rp 20,000 for every 10 orders completed. This scheme further reduces the income received.

“Every order is cut by 20 per cent. Then for every 10 orders, we’re cut another Rp 20,000. So it’s double, that’s what makes it heavy,” she clarified.

In a day, Novita claims she can complete around 20 to 25 orders from morning to afternoon. However, according to her, that number is not necessarily sufficient when considering the various deductions in place.

“If it’s only 10 orders, we actually lose money. So we have to chase a lot of orders to bring home enough money,” she said.

Behind her job as a ride-hailing driver, Novita is also the family’s breadwinner. She has to support her children single-handedly after her husband passed away.

“I’m a housewife and also the father. My husband has passed away, so I’m the one who covers the children’s needs,” she shared.

Novita hopes that the government and platform companies pay more attention to drivers’ welfare, especially for women. One issue highlighted is that the requested deductions could be lowered to a maximum of 10 per cent.

“The hope is that the cuts are really lowered to 10 per cent. And the additional fees are eliminated, so we’re not too burdened,” she said.

In addition, Novita also spotlighted safety aspects for female ride-hailing drivers. She assesses that the current female passenger filter feature is not operating optimally.

“We already use the female passenger filter, but we still get male passengers. So it seems not effective yet,” she added.

Although she chose to take the day off today to join the action, Novita plans to return to work after the event ends. She and her colleagues hope their voices at this Labour Day moment can be heard.

“We’re taking a break first to participate. After the event finishes, maybe we’ll go out again, pick up again,” she said.