Jakarta. Hundreds of thousands of ride-hailing drivers across Indonesia are set to stage a nationwide protest on Tuesday, May 20, demanding better pay, fairer working conditions, and legal protections. The coordinated action will include a mass demonstration in Jakarta and a 24-hour "off-bid" strike, during which drivers will turn off their apps.

The protest is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. local time and is expected to cause major disruptions across central Jakarta.

The protest, organized by the Indonesian Transportation Workers Union (SPAI), will center around the Transportation Ministry, the Presidential Palace, and the House of Representatives, while drivers in cities including Surabaya, Bandung, Medan, Makassar, and Palembang are expected to join remotely.

SPAI chairwoman Lily Pujianti said the action targets both the government and major ride-hailing platforms such as Grab, Gojek (GoTo), Maxim, ShopeeFood, and inDrive. “Drivers are earning just Rp 50,000 to Rp 100,000 [$3.10 to $6.20] per day, with up to 70 percent of fares taken by platforms, far above the 20 percent limit set by the government,” Lily said.

She cited examples of delivery jobs where customers are charged Rp 18,000, while drivers receive only Rp 5,200. Lily also raised concerns about the treatment of women drivers, many of whom work 12 to 16 hours daily without paid maternity or menstrual leave. To qualify for incentives such as Grab’s “Jawara” program, drivers must stay online for at least 250 hours per month, over eight hours per day.

Drivers are also pushing for the elimination of algorithm-based prioritization schemes like GrabBike Hemat, Gojek’s “Aceng,” and ShopeeFood’s hub model, which they say unfairly distribute jobs and leave many drivers idle. Other demands include ending unilateral account deactivations, ensuring union involvement in disputes, and extending access to government-run social security programs such as BPJS Kesehatan and BPJS Ketenagakerjaan.

The protest comes amid mounting frustration over what drivers describe as an exploitative “partnership” model that lacks basic worker protections. SPAI and its allies are calling for the swift passage of the Online Driver Protection Bill to provide a legal framework for gig workers.

In response, Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi on Monday met with executives from major ride-hailing companies to address the mounting discontent. “We must listen to the concerns emerging in this sector and find fair solutions that involve all stakeholders,” Dudy said.

Ride-hailing companies deny the claims of excessive commission cuts. Gojek President Catherine Hindra Sutjahyo said the firm adheres to the government regulation limiting commissions to 15 percent plus an additional 5 percent. “That 20 percent helps fund customer promotions,” she said, warning that reducing the cut could decrease overall driver income due to reduced transaction volumes.

Grab, Maxim, and inDrive also asserted compliance. Grab’s Tirza R. Munusamy said the platform’s commission is capped at 20 percent and applies only to base fares. Indrive’s Ryan Rwanda said its highest rate globally is in Jakarta: 11.7 percent for cars and 9.99 percent for motorcycles already inclusive of app fees and insurance coverage.

Among their nine demands, drivers want formal employment status, transparent tariffs set by the government, a cap on commissions, anti-monopoly safeguards, and provisions for fair wages, social protections, and work equipment.