Go-Jek Begins Registering Drivers for Singapore Launch

Go-Jek has taken another step closer to launching in Singapore, with driver pre-registration going live today.

Prospective drivers can pre-register online at Go-Jek’s Singapore portal. By signing up with a few personal details, they’ll receive regular alerts informing them on the full driver recruitment process and keeping them updated on progress towards the eventual launch of Go-Car, the company’s private car service, in the city-state.

It’s the first solid evidence that Go-Jek’s Singapore rollout is moving forward. In May, the Indonesian ride-hailing app announced the city-state as one of four countries – alongside Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines – that it would target in its first international expansion outside of its home market.

There has been a "huge amount of driver interest" in Singapore, the company said, adding that it plans to build "strong, engaging relationships" with the local driver community.

Go-Jek did not give a launch date for its Singapore service, saying only that it would “provide an update in due course.”

The Indonesian firm said it was “encouraged” when Singaporean regulators penalized Grab and Uber last month after finding their regional merger earlier this year had infringed competition rules.

“[The ruling] will have a significant effect on our strategy and timeline. We are now confident that Singapore will have a robust, efficient, and competitive market, and that our arrival will have a significantly positive impact,” a Go-Jek spokesperson said at the time, Tech in Asia reported.

Launched in 2011 in Jakarta, Go-Jek - a play on the local word for motorbike taxis - has evolved from a ride-hailing service to a one-stop app through which its customers can make online payments and order everything from food, groceries to massages.

According to Channel News Asia, Go-Jek was last estimated to have a valuation of about US$5 billion when Google, Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings and others came in as investors in its US$1.5 billion funding earlier this year.