Oct
The first thing you notice in Bali are the green helmets of scooter drivers. Gojek vs Grab is the ultimate question in Indonesian transport.
What is Gojek?
When I last came to Indonesia, I was lost in life and lost in Indonesia — just trying to find a place to eat or a way to get from place to place. Gojek solved all of my issues. When I was lost in Surabaya trying to find vegetarian food, it saved the day, when I got stuck in a rainstorm after hours at Prambanan in Yogyakarta, Gojek to the rescue.
I’ve even got a Google search set up to alert me when an IPO for Gojek might happen. To say I’m a fan is an understatement. I even wrote a step-by-step guide on how to use the app!
This time in Bali though my loyalty to Gojek has failed me. I found myself standing around, waiting for Gojek longer than my fellow travellers. I’m not sure why sometimes a driver never seems to move. But even this I defended, saying I still preferred Gojek.
But then, the inevitable happened. I ran out of money in my Gojek amount, and there was no Alfamart in sight to refill my account. I had no cash on hand either. (Of course, I could have paid with cash when I got back to my villa, but I don’t like to be in this situation) Stuck out on one of our little adventures, I thought I would give Grab a go.
Using Grab in Indonesia
Imagine my surprise when I filled in my foreign credit card details into the Grab app, and it happily took them. Using a foreign credit card is simply a no go with Gojek. Five minutes later, my Grab pulled up, and I confirmed with the driver that there would be no issue using the app to pay for the ride. He confirmed, and off we went.
Gojek vs Grab, the battle continues! Now with the upcoming Gojek IPO and Grab IPO the stakes couldn’t be higher!