Grab and Gojek Scrap Subscription Packages: What’s Actually Happening
Following the government’s regulation establishing an 8% applicator and 92% driver profit-sharing ratio, ride-hailing giants Gojek and Grab Indonesia have introduced new policies by scrapping the budget package subscription scheme for drivers.
GoTo announced it is terminating the subscription scheme for driver partners on the GoRide Hemat service. Going forward, the scheme will follow a profit-sharing system similar to regular GoRide, set at 8%. Previously, the service operated on a subscription model where drivers paid a specific fee. With this change, the old scheme is abolished and replaced with the commission model applied to regular GoRide.
GoTo CEO Hans Patuwo explained the subscription programme was removed following an evaluation after the feature was expanded in February 2026. Based on the assessment, the company believes the subscription scheme needed to strike a better balance regarding driver welfare. Consequently, the programme will be terminated in the near future.
He added that the scheme change will impact consumer tariffs, specifically for the GoRide Hemat service. GoTo assured that any price increase will be limited and will consider public purchasing power. ‘The impact of this, specifically only for the GoRide Hemat service, will be a very limited consumer price adjustment. We ensure this adjustment is measured and prioritises affordability for the public,’ Patuwo stated.
Similarly, Grab Indonesia announced the closure of the Access Hemat Subscription Programme for its two-wheeled driver partners (GrabBike), citing the need for better adjustments. The GrabBike Hemat service remains available for consumers, but the company confirmed there will be fee adjustments prioritising public affordability.
‘For Standard GrabBike users, until now, Grab Indonesia ensures there is no price increase,’ said Neneng, a company representative. However, further details regarding the policy, including the exact timing and implementation mechanism, have yet to be explained.
CNBC Indonesia spoke with several drivers regarding the policy. They acknowledged hearing plans about the removal of the budget service but remain confused because the service is still available. According to the drivers, there has been no official notification regarding the implementation of the new policy to date. ‘They said the budget package was going to be removed, but it hasn’t been removed yet,’ one driver said.
One driver explained that the budget service indeed allowed him to secure more orders per day, but his income decreased on the other hand. Another driver stated that while the subscription scheme brought in more orders, the additional cost burden was quite heavy. ‘With the app, the orders are definitely abundant, but it’s like we pay a deduction of Rp 20,000 per day for every 10 orders,’ he said.
Other drivers demonstrated a better understanding of the current budget service scheme, noting they now face deductions for a number of budget package trips completed. The amounts vary depending on the trips made. For instance, one to two trips incur a deduction of Rp 3,000, while 10 to 20 trips can result in a Rp 20,000 deduction.
Several drivers indicated the deduction is not an issue if they complete 20 to 30 trips a day, as their total earnings remain substantial. However, it harms those working short hours, such as only a few afternoon hours. ‘Those who go out in the afternoon around 5 p.m. are at a disadvantage; they don’t want to activate the budget service. They just use the standard service because they get hit with deductions like Rp 13,500 for 5 trips, before fuel and food,’ another driver explained. The drivers voiced support for the service’s removal, as well as the new profit-sharing ratio announced by the government last month.