Majority of Online Motorcycle Taxi Drivers Prefer Micro-Entrepreneur Status, Says Minister

Minister of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Maman Abdurrahman has said that the majority of online motorcycle taxi (ojol) drivers representing 19 partner communities of Gojek, Grab, and Maxim prefer to be classified as micro-entrepreneurs rather than as workers. “I asked our friends from the ojol communities and associations about their status, whether they wanted to be workers or micro-entrepreneurs. They all want to be entrepreneurs,” Maman said after a dialogue with hundreds of ojol drivers at the Ministry of UMKM office in Jakarta on Wednesday. According to Maman, the drivers chose micro-entrepreneur status because they wish to maintain flexibility in their work while also having the opportunity to develop other businesses beyond their driving activities. He explained that micro-entrepreneur status would provide drivers with broader access to various government empowerment programmes, including training, entrepreneurship capacity building, and financing through the People’s Business Credit (KUR) scheme. The government, together with the application companies, is also preparing a simple mechanism to integrate driver data with the SME Integrated Business Service System (SAPA UMKM) so that the micro-entrepreneur status can be applied automatically. The formal designation of ojol drivers as micro-business actors will be regulated through a Presidential Regulation currently being drafted. “The legal framework is being finalised between the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, and the Ministry of UMKM. We want it to come into effect as soon as possible so this matter can be resolved,” Maman stated.