Tag: Uber

Indonesia’s Go-Jek could ‘soon’ launch its ride-hailing app in Thailand

Indonesia’s Go-Jek could expand into Thailand ‘very soon,’ its president says
1 Hour Ago | 01:32

Indonesia's largest ride-hailing, payments and services company, Go-Jek, plans to expand its presence across more markets in Southeast Asia in the near future, according to its president.

After officially launching its services in Vietnam earlier this week, Go-Jek is building up its operations in Thailand and working with regulators in Singapore and the Philippines, Andre Soelistyo told CNBC on Friday.

“Thailand is coming very soon … the team is already working to operationalize the product,” he said, adding that, for Singapore and the Philippines, “we're still working it out with local regulators, local teams to make sure that all the requirements are being checked properly, before we do the expansion.”

Earlier in May, Go-Jek announced that it would invest about $500 million to move into the four markets over the next several months. The company said it would provide “technological support and expertise” to local founding teams that would then work on gaining traction in each of those countries.

The mobile app that was launched in Vietnam is called Go-Viet and is now available in the major cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. On that app, users can book two-wheel rides and make use of courier services — the company said there are plans to introduce four-wheel ride-hailing, food delivery and digital payment services on the application in the future.

Soelistyo said the decision to launch first in Vietnam had several motivations, including its cultural similarity to Indonesia, and the high social media penetration rate.

“Motorcycle penetration is very high, and that's very key for our platform” he said. “We saw a lot of excitement from the local team, and local partners, and they really wanted to push this. So, we started with Vietnam as a result.”

Ultimately, Go-Jek's goal is to consolidate transactions on its app by building new technologies on top of it that can do various functions such as making payments, buying goods and services online and ordering food, according to Soelistyo.

In Singapore, reports previously suggested that Go-Jek was in talks with the country's largest taxi operator, ComfortDelGro, to forge a partnership ahead of the company's entry into the market. Soelistyo declined to comment on that report, and instead said Go-Jek always takes a “very partnership-driven” approach.

Go-Jek's expansion into Southeast Asia is set to potentially fill the void left by Uber. The U.S. tech company earlier this year sold its regional business to local competitor Grab. The two Southeast Asia-based companies already compete in Indonesia and will now do the same in Vietnam.

Both companies have notable backers: Grab counts SoftBank, China's Didi Chuxing, Toyota, global asset manager OppenheimerFunds and China's Ping An Capital among its investors. Go-Jek, which reportedly raised about $1.5 billion in funds in February, is backed by Google, Singapore's Temasek Holdings and tech giant Tencent.

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Uber is investing $150M in Toronto to expand self-driving car efforts

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Zoox is offering autonomous rides in SF this week

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Bristol driverless car report challenges business models

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Electric scooters need a crucial rule change before the craze can spread to London

Bogdanhoda | iStock | Getty Images

As I ride my bike into work there are numerous obstacles to watch for. I treat buses, trucks and cars as if they are on fire while pedestrians and other cyclists offer plenty to worry about too.

In recent weeks, I have noticed a new player competing for space in the weekday “rat race” — the electric kick scooter.

My first sightings of grown adults using scooters raised a smile but also my curiosity as I marvelled at how fast they were zooming along.

Speed aside, their attraction to any commuter is clear. They are certainly less bulky than a bike and, assuming no rain, you can arrive at work unflustered with no need to change clothes. Despite being powered, you also need no license.

The cost is relatively attractive too with a quick internet search revealing decent looking models priced at around £450 ($581). That amount of money buys you less than three months on the London Underground.

So far, so good. But there is a catch, and it is quite a big one. In the U.K., the electric kick scooter is classified as a PLEV, or Personal Light Electric Vehicle, and that makes them illegal on British roads or pavements.

That means commuters who embrace this new method of urban travel remain at risk of possible arrest and a fine of up to £75. And while battery-powered scooters are spotted more and more on British streets, the U.K. Department for Transport has offered no hint that the law will change.

The e-scooter first enjoyed popularity in the United States, as employees based within a few miles of work looked to avoid heavy traffic and unreliable public transport. Several different firms have flooded U.S. streets and more, including a fleet run by Uber, are on the way.

Their introduction has caused anger over dangerous riding, as well as people dumping them inappropriately. After a wealth of start-ups filled the streets of San Francisco, local lawmakers issued a sudden ban before then issuing permits to just two companies.

Despite those anxieties, the boom in popularity has been exported to Europe and three scooter hire services were granted licences for Paris this summer. In Austria and Switzerland, electric scooters are encouraged to the point that laws allow them to go up to 25 kilometers per hour in a road or cycle lane.

Their popularity in crowded European cities has even led to a suggestion from automaker Volkswagen that it will introduce its own hire service in Berlin before long.

As Britain grapples with heavy traffic, struggling public transport, and illegal pollution, can the electric scooter really remain out of bounds to the law-abiding commuter?

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Mando receives trial license for California

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ShipBob Raises $40M in Series C Funding

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