The Online Motorcycle Taxi Crisis: Passengers Wait 20 Minutes Only to Have Orders Cancelled

Jakarta – Multiple users of online motorcycle taxi (ojol) services have complained about the difficulty of finding drivers during the afternoon and evening hours. Some passengers must wait lengthy periods before finally securing a driver, only to have their orders cancelled.

One ojol user, Amo (29), shared their experience: “I waited almost 20 minutes, and when I finally got a driver, they cancelled immediately, even though I wasn’t using a promotional code,” Amo told Kompas.com on Thursday, 12 March 2026.

According to Amo, this situation occurs increasingly frequently during peak hours, particularly in the evening or during rainy weather. Due to the difficulty in booking ojol services, Amo sometimes resorts to alternative transport modes. “If no one accepts, I usually take JakLingko, even though I’m already tired and prefer to take a motorcycle to get home directly,” Amo said.

Amo hopes drivers will be less selective when accepting orders, particularly during work-from-office hours when many people require transportation services.

Another passenger, Zahra (26), also reported frequent difficulties booking ojol during rush hour. “I have trouble ordering motorcycles, usually in the afternoon or around iftar time. I have to wait up to 20 minutes,” Zahra said.

According to Zahra, even after finally securing a driver, she must wait longer because the accepting driver is usually located far away. “Once I get one, I still have to wait another 10 minutes because the driver is always far away,” she explained.

Another user, Naila (25), reported difficulty booking a driver when using the economy fare option. “With economy mode, no one wants to accept. When I switch to standard, someone picks up within two minutes,” Naila said.

“Sometimes there’s no discount available in economy mode, and it turns red because there are many requests,” Naila added.

Social media has been buzzing with similar complaints about the difficulty of booking ojol services, with some users describing the situation as an “ojol crisis.”

Based on information circulating on social media and within driver communities, speculation suggests this phenomenon relates to an imbalance between driver earnings and their operational costs. Several drivers reportedly choose not to accept orders or disable their applications during certain hours, particularly during heavy traffic periods.