Tom After reading about the violence of taxi drivers towards Grab drivers in Indonesia, we were cautious about using Grab during our visit to Batam. In a separate forum, we were also alerted about violence of taxi drivers towards Grab drivers in Batam. All these did not prepare us for what we met with in Batam…
Why are Taxi Drivers in Batam Unhappy with Grab Drivers?
Before we elaborate more about our experience, we first have to understand why taxi drivers in Batam are unhappy with the advent of Grab in Indonesia. Well, the most obvious aspect is that with the proliferation of apps such as Uber, Grab and Go-Car, taxi drivers in Batam have lower ridership and that translates to lower income for the taxi drivers.
However, there’s a more sinister aspect to it.
Taxi drivers in Batam belong to co-operatives (or local unions of sorts). From the income they earn, a certain portion goes to the co-operatives which in turn help to benefit the local community. How much of that money actually goes to the community is unknown. To these co-operatives, the entry of transport apps such as Grab and Go-Car prevents the local community from being benefited. Instead, many think that “foreign companies are benefiting” and local taxi drivers in Batam are losing their jobs against Grab.
Hence, they thought of ways to “push” Grab back to “where they belong”…
– It is now illegal for Grab drivers to pick up passengers from shopping malls, ferry terminals and hotels such as Batam Mega Mall, BCS Shopping Mall, Batam Ferry Terminal or Harris Batam Centre Hotel
– Violence and harassment has been reported against Grab drivers in Batam
– Harassment against Grab passengers in Batam by agents of taxi co-operatives
Our experience with Grab in Batam has been shared in forums as well
Even after reading and knowing the above, we did not expect that the following would happen to us…
As we knew about the Grab/Taxi Driver issue in Batam, we took steps to avoid these sort of conflict altogether. Afterall, it was a holiday right? Hence, right off the bat, since we knew that Grab drivers were not allowed to pick up passengers from our hotel at Harris Batam Centre, we took a ride with the co-operative instead. They are usually the “official” taxi stands right outside the hotel with a fixed price list. Our ride to BCS Shopping Mall, according to the price list, costs 70,000 IDR with the taxi co-operative. Grab costs half the price at 35,000 IDR.
After our visit to BCS shopping mall, we were careful to walk AWAY from the shopping mall to take Grab. While waiting for Grab outside a spa joint, a local came out from behind us and peeped at our phone. Knowing that we were waiting for a Grab driver, he loudly shouted that Grab was not allowed there.
“It is illegal to take Grab here!”.
Hence, we walked a further 300 metres away.
To our horror, he followed suit!
Following behind us to a non-built-up area 300 metres away, this time, he was “friendlier”. He said,
“You are taking Grab right? Come, let me help you.”
He then whipped out his hand phone and flipped through his applications, which clearly showed that he did not download Grab. However, he was clear to show us one thing.
While showing us the apps on his phone, he pulled up his sleeves, revealing tattoos on his forearm!
At this, we knew it was time to head back to take a cab from the co-operative. Soon, another guy joined in and the both of them “escorted” us to the “official” taxi stand right outside the shopping mall. After we requested for a taxi back to our hotel, we heard him shouting in Bahasa Indonesia, something along the lines of
“This is Batam! Not Singapore!”
Did we also mentioned that while we were “being escorted” back to the “official” taxi stand, we were videoed throughout as well? Nonetheless, cooler heads prevailed and we did not utter a single retort to the agent of the co-operative throughout the entire ordeal.
Can you use Grab in Batam?
Therefore, to answer the question of whether you can still use Grab in Batam, the quick answer is yes. However, in reality, you may find it really challenging to find a spot to legitimately ride Grab since the “no pick-up zones” are not clearly marked out. Hence, if you’re visiting shopping malls and hotels in Batam, it is unlikely that you’ll be able to easily get a Grab ride. A good gauge would be to walk 10 minutes away from “no pick-up zones” in Batam for Grab drivers to feel safe enough to pick you up.
To answer the question of whether is it safe to take Grab in Batam, from our experience above, we have to say no. Harassment happened to us even after all the precautions we took (adherence, avoidance, keeping cool). We can only imagine if Singaporeans tried to argue/reason with the agents from the Batam taxi co-operatives.
Violence could possibly result – which had occurred to Singaporeans.
With all these in mind, it would be unlikely that we’d be visiting Batam anytime soon.
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Epilogue: Just before we left Harris Batam Centre, we noticed a local macik trying to hire a Grab ride as well. From her actions of opening and closing the app on her phone, she was quickly picked out by an agent from the co-operative who told her that the hotel was a “no pick-up zone” for Grab. Upon hearing that, the macik walked away from the lobby.
The agent followed suit…
