Indonesian ride-hailing app Gojek is focusing on improving its user experience in its home country and other countries where it operates, while also seeking new opportunities for expansion in other Southeast Asian countries, the firm’s head of transport Raditya Wibowo said on Friday.

Speaking on the sidelines of the third NextICorn International Summit in Jimbaran, Bali, Raditya said the Indonesian “decacorn” – a company valued at more than $10 billion – is aiming to have 1,000 Go-Ride motorcycle shelters across the country by next year by focusing on crowded areas across all the regions where it operates in Indonesia.

“We will bring the shelters to most crowded points like train stations or bus shelters,” he said.

The firm has now established 12 to 15 shelters in Jakarta, Surabaya in East Java and Bandung in West Java, Raditya said.

The company is also partnering with mass transportation operators like MRT Jakarta and Kereta Commuter Line Indonesia (KCI) to reduce traffic jams near the stations that often stem from ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers waiting around for their passengers, he said.

Aside from improving its services in Indonesia, the on-demand services platform is also preparing to enter the Malaysian market in January following approval from the country’s transport minister for it to start its ojek-hailing operations with local partner Dego Ride.

Despite the approval, Raditya said the company still faces challenges in planting the ojek-riding culture as a form of transportation for the people in Malaysia.

“Riding an ojek for the first time can be a scary experience for some, so we need to come up with a solution that can be received well by the customers and drivers [in Malaysia],” he said, adding that unlike in other countries where Gojek has expanded, like Vietnam and Thailand, Malaysians did not traditionally use motorcycles as taxis.

In the meantime, he continued, the company will look for opportunities for expansion in other countries in Southeast Asia.

THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK