Traveloka enters Indonesia's ride-hailing scene

Traveloka is giving Gojek and Grab a run for their money in Indonesia's ride-hailing space with the launch of Traveloka QuickRide. Done in collaboration with Indonesian transportation company, Blue Bird, the service is currently available in 16 cities including Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar, Lombok, Manado, Makassar, Padang, and Medan. 

According to Traveloka, the Traveloka QuickRide service is based on the increasing consumer need for transportation services within the city that are practical, safe, comfortable, and easily accessible via their mobile phones. The company added that this new product further strengthens its commitment as a technology-based company that provides end-to-end complete solutions for consumers in one application to meet their lifestyle needs, including mobility needs.

Iko Putera, CEO of Transport, Traveloka, said Traveloka QuickRide is here as an answer to consumers' needs for a practical and reliable single-trip service so that it can help them reach their destination safely and comfortably.

"By partnering with Blue Bird, we are constantly expanding our portfolio of transportation services to consumers available in one application," he said. Putera also described Blue Bird as a "trusted partner with an extensive network in transportation services". 

Traveloka QuickRide has features such as "Advance Booking" which allows consumers to schedule service reservations with a pre-determined travel time. In addition, the “On Demand” feature allows consumers to be able to travel directly or instantly.

Blue Bird's deputy president director, Andre Djokosoetono, said the collaboration can is a tangible proof of the company's commitment to developing services through the digital transformation pillar of multi-channel reservation. "We strive to continue to be relevant to the needs of the community. Where, the multi-channel reservation pillar is the answer to the community's need to get easy access to safe, comfortable, reliable and reliable mobility services," he added.

Meanwhile, competitor Gojek beefed up its operations last May by merging with Tokopedia to form GoTo. In 2020, the new entity amassed a total group gross transaction value of more than US$22 billion in 2020 and over 1.8 billion transactions.

At the same time, Grab, which is also present in several Indonesian cities including Jakarta, Bandung, Medan, Yogyakarta, Semarang, and Denpasar, went public on Nasdaq last December. This resulted in co-founder Anthony Tan reportedly hitting billionaire status for a few hours before its stock slipped. Separately, airasia has also entered into the ride-hailing scene with airasia ride albeit only in Malaysia's Klang Valley.