SINGAPORE — Ride-hailing firm Go-Jek is expected to deliver an early Christmas present to Singapore, as it confirmed today that selected commuters will be able to start booking rides with its beta app before year-end.
While its president Andre Soelistyo was coy about Go-Jek’s entry date into the Singapore market during a fireside chat at the Singapore Fintech Festival, he said that commuters would have more choices “soon”, drawing laughter and applause from the audience.
When pressed by reporters after the session, he would only confirm that the beta app will be launched in Singapore before Christmas.
The Go-Jek chief admitted during today’s fireside chat that he is a “little bit scared” of its much-anticipated launch here as there is “a lot of demand”. He later clarified with reporters that he meant to say that he was “excited” about the upcoming event.
Ahead of its entry into a ride-hailing market currently dominated by Singapore-based firm Grab, Go-Jek made its first moves on Oct 29 to recruit drivers by launching a portal for them to pre-register to use its platform.
During the beta service period, the firm will be encouraging feedback on the app, and “optimising our operations to better satisfy customers”, said Go-Jek in an email statement.
Earlier this week, the Indonesia-based company announced that it was teaming up with DBS Bank to offer payment services when its beta app launches in the city-state “within the coming weeks”.
On their partnership with DBS, Soelistyo said the aim is to reduce inconveniences that drivers may face in getting paid. For instance, they will work on innovations in the “small stuff” such as allowing drivers to claim their money instantaneously, which will keep consumers and drivers happy, he added.
Singapore is part of the ride-hailing giant’s bigger plan for South-east Asia, as Go-Jek said in May that it will invest US$500 million (approx. RM2.1 billion) in its international expansion strategy to enter markets in the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam in the next few months. It also recently raised US$1.5 billion in funding, and its investors include Google, Temasek, Chinese conglomerate Tencent and Meituan Dianping, a China-based online food delivery-to-ticketing services platform.
When asked by the moderator about his expansion plans for the region, Andre said that unlike in Indonesia where the company has been growing for the past three and a half years, building operations in the rest of South-east Asia means starting from “ground zero” as they only kicked off the plans this year.
Go-Jek had first ventured into Vietnam in September, with Singapore and Thailand next on the list.
But Soelistyo stressed that their approach will stay the same, as they look to create solutions to meet the daily needs of consumers.
“The name of the game is really understanding the consumer, plotting their journey, finding the ‘aha’ moments, building a long-term engagement model so that they are much more active and retentive,” he added. — TODAY
