According to local media reports quoting Gabungan Aksi Roda Dua (Garda) national chief Igun Wicaksono, the riders will submit a protest letter to Malaysian Ambassador to Indonesia Zainal Abidin Bakar and have threatened to demonstrate at the Malaysian embassy on Sept 3 if there is no apology from the individual.

A man, believed to be Big Blue Taxi Services founder Datuk Shamsubahrin Ismail, allegedly made a statement deemed derogatory of Gojek riders and Indonesia in a video clip that went viral in Indonesia recently.

Go-Jek was founded in 2010 by Nadiem Makarim, 35, who is also the current CEO of the transportation network and logistics start-up which offers a wide range of services, from ride-hailing to delivery as well as fintech.

In the first quarter of 2019, the Go-Jek application was downloaded more than 142 million times in Indonesia, and it currently has more than two million rider-partners.

In 2018, Go-Jek also recorded over US$9 billion (RM37.8 billion) in gross transaction value (GTV) in all its operating countries, making it the largest consumer technology group in South-east Asia based on GTV.

Go-Jek also operates in Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand (where it is known as GET) and Vietnam (as GoViet).

Recently, Malaysian Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Rahman proposed introducing the motorcycle e-hailing service in Malaysia, triggering a public debate on the pros and cons. — Bernama