Grab, Gojek and Shopee Address Complaints Over Difficulty Finding Ride-Hailing Drivers
Widespread customer complaints have emerged regarding difficulties in obtaining ride-hailing drivers during Ramadan. Grab, Gojek, and Shopee have all issued statements addressing the issue.
Tyas Widyastuti, Director of Mobility, Food, and Logistics at Grab Indonesia, acknowledged complaints regarding longer wait times for drivers in recent days, particularly in the Jakarta metropolitan area. She stated that Grab services continue to operate normally overall, although some users in certain times and locations experience extended wait times beyond the usual period.
“This has occurred because in recent times, demand for mobility services and deliveries, including GrabExpress, GrabFood, and other services, has experienced quite a significant increase. At the same time, the availability of driver partners has been affected by several factors, including extreme rainy weather conditions that caused flooding on numerous road sections, as well as traffic congestion higher than usual,” Tyas explained on Wednesday, 11 March 2026.
Tyas added that Grab’s operational team is currently implementing various measures to stabilise partner driver availability and maintain service quality. These include operational adjustments to ensure balance between service demand and driver partner availability in the field, particularly in high-demand areas.
Grab will continue to monitor developments in this situation on a regular basis. Additionally, Grab will make necessary operational adjustments to ensure services for users, merchants, and partners can return to running more optimally, particularly as Ramadan approaches and the Eid al-Fitr holiday period when service demand typically increases.
“We remain committed to ensuring all our services can be used optimally by users whilst prioritising safety aspects for driver partners, merchant partners, and users, especially during the period leading up to Eid al-Fitr,” she explained.
Gojek also addressed the widespread complaints about difficulty obtaining ride-hailing services during Ramadan. The company reported observing a change in order surge patterns occurring earlier than usual peak hours.
“During the final period of Ramadan and approaching the Eid al-Fitr holiday, we have observed changes in order patterns (surge in demand levels) during peak hours, particularly in business areas in central Jakarta. Peak hours begin earlier compared to other days outside Ramadan, namely from 15:30, reaching its peak at 16:00-18:00 WIB,” said Bambang Adi Wirawan, Head of Driver Operations at Gojek, on Thursday, 12 March.
Meanwhile, amid the order surge, Bambang noted that some ride-hailing drivers have already returned to their hometowns. Particularly, he said, ride-hailing drivers who normally operate in major cities.
“During the final period of Ramadan, we understand that some of our Gojek driver partners—particularly those operating in major cities—have returned to their hometowns for the holiday and prefer to spend time with their families,” he stated.
Bambang mentioned another factor as well: rainy weather causing flooding at several points. This condition, he said, affected driver availability, with customer orders frequently requiring extended time periods.
“Rainy weather causing flooding at several points and resulting in traffic congestion also affects the availability of driver partners. Thus, customer orders during this period often require additional time to be accepted by partners,” he said.
“To anticipate this, we urge users to allocate more time for the ordering process and travel planning,” he added.
Furthermore, Gojek, according to Bambang, will implement special tariffs applicable during the Eid holiday. This, he said, is to increase earnings for ride-hailing drivers.
“This step is important for us to take to appreciate driver partners who continue to choose to serve the public during the Eid al-Fitr holiday period,” he stated.
Shopee also issued a statement responding to widespread complaints about difficulty obtaining ride-hailing services. Shopee acknowledged a decrease in driver or partner availability, particularly in the Jabodetabek region (Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi).
“As public activity increases during Ramadan approaching Eid al-Fitr, there has been a surge in order volume across various on-demand and fast delivery services,” said Satrya Pinandita, Head of Corporate Affairs at Shopee Indonesia, on Thursday, 12 March.
Satrya noted that this phenomenon actually also occurred in 2025. He acknowledged a pattern of reduced driver partner availability approaching Eid al-Fitr.
“Shopee also observes a pattern of reduced driver partner availability (fleet supply) in the weeks approaching Eid al-Fitr. This pattern occurs consistently among logistics partners providing instant and same-day delivery services on the Shopee platform, with more noticeable reductions in the Jabodetabek region, whilst conditions in areas outside Jabodetabek are relatively more stable,” said Satrya.
He noted that complaints have also been communicated by driver partners still working. According to them, there has been quite a significant increase in delivery requests.
“Logistics partners providing instant and same-day delivery services on the Shopee platform have also reported that in recent times there has been quite a significant increase in delivery requests,” he said.
“Additionally, some driver partners have also returned to their hometowns, particularly those who normally operate in major cities. On the other hand, the package collection process can become more challenging during periods or days with high rainfall, which can affect traffic conditions and driver partner mobility in several areas,” he continued.
Satrya also mentioned that his company has communicated this phenomenon to Shopee service users. This way, users can adjust their delivery expectations accordingly.
“Since last week, Shopee has also proactively communicated information to help users understand these conditions,” he stated.