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Go-Jek to Expand in SE Asia, Competes with Uber and Grab
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Ride-hailing company Go-Jek is planning to expand in Southeast Asia in a bid to compete with similar companies Grab and Uber Technologies Inc.
Without specifying the countries that will become its target, Go-Jek CEO Nadiem Makarim said that Southeast Asian nations have a large population and adopt cash payment system.
He pointed out that Go-Jek digital payment service will play a key role in the company’s expansion into new markets.
Meanwhile, Singapore-based online transportation service provider Grab, backed by heavy investment from SoftBank Group Corp. and China ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing, has been aggressively developing its services in Indonesia.
Grab, operating in seven countries, is run by Anthony Tan, Makarim’s former classmate in Harvard Business School.
It would be the first aggressive steps taken by Go-Jek outside its home country. Makarim told Bloomberg on October 2 that it is high time for the company to expand business after always acting ‘defensively’. After Indonesia, the most populated countries in Southeast Asia are the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand with a total population of 270 million people.
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2017/10/02/056911947/Go-Jek-to-Expand-in-SE-Asia-Competes-with-Uber-and-Grab