Go-Jek, Singapore’s ComfortDelGro said to be in talks for potential collaboration

April 24, 2018

Indonesia’s ride-hailing giant Go-Jek has held talks with Singapore’s largest taxi operator, ComfortDelGro, for a potential collaboration between the two companies, according to report by TechCrunch.

Should Comfort agree to team up with Go-Jek, it would replace the partnership it had with Uber sealed in December, which has effectively been annulled following the US firm’s decision last month to sell its Southeast Asia business to rival Grab, the report said.

Following Uber’s exit of the region, Comfort had reportedly told its taxi drivers to delete the Uber app on their phones. According to The Straits Times, Grab has said that it will reach out to ComfortDelGro for possible partnerships.

Go-Jek is already looking to fill the void left by Uber in a number of Southeast Asian markets, with Singapore reportedly one of its four main targets – the other three being Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Executives from the Indonesian ride-hailing major have requested for a meeting with the Philippine transport regulators, it was reported last week.

TechCrunch reports that, based on information from its source, Go-Jek has held early-stage talks with Comfort that could see it enter Singapore as a ride-hailing partner for the latter’s 15,000 drivers.

Comfort did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DEALSTREETASIA, while Go-Jek said it “can’t comment on rumor and speculation”.

The acquisition of Uber by Grab has been met with concern by regulatory bodies in some Southeast Asian countries, including Singapore, who fear the deal grants a virtual monopoly to Grab and endangers competition. A Philippine lawmaker has even suggested that Go-Jek be encouraged to offer its services in the country to re-establish competition, according to reports by local media.

In October last year, Go-Jek founder and CEO Nadiem Makarim announced plans for the startup to operate in four other member countries of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) but did not specify the targeted countries.

Late last year, Go-Jek had identified the Philippines as the first country in the region where it will set up operations in. It also told Reuters at the time that “almost all Southeast Asian countries are on the radar over the next three, six to 12 months”.