Alif Ilham Fajriadi, Jakarta – Online motorcycle taxi (ojol) drivers who are joining the protest around the Horse Statue area refuse to meet with the secretary of the Directorate General of Land Transportation of the Ministry of Transportation, Ahmad Yani.
The protesters are demanding to meet directly with the Minister of Transportation, Dudy Purwagandhi, at the protest location.
Tempo's on-site observation showed one of the protesters vocally expressing the rejection through a sound system. "Pak Yani, we are tired of being deceived, we need (to meet) the minister," said the speaker from the top of a command car on Tuesday afternoon, May 20, 2025.
Upon hearing the rejection, Ahmad Yani immediately left the location of the protest.
Some of the protesters were also seen throwing bottles of mineral water towards Ahmad Yani before he left the crowd. The police immediately protected and sequestered the ministry official from the protest location.
Until 4:00 p.m. Jakarta time, protesters still crowded the Horse Statue area with three command cars. Meanwhile, some representatives of the ojol drivers attended a closed audience at the office of the Coordinating Ministry for Political and Security Affairs. The results of the audience are not yet clearly known.
Separately, Minister of Transportation Dudy Purwagandhi responded to the ojol drivers' demands to lower app commission reduction from 20 percent to 10 percent. He acknowledged that the government could revise the regulation, but stressed the importance of hearing the opinions of the ride-hailing companies to sustain the business ecosystem.
"Can the commission cut be lowered? Well yes, if I don't consider the sustainable balance," said Dudy at a meeting with the app providers in Central Jakarta on Monday, May 19, 2025. He added, "Signing a new regulation on the reduction of the commission is not difficult. But it doesn't seem wise if we don't listen to all stakeholders."
– Riri Rahayu contributed to writing this article.