Have you been Grabbed? #MeToo, say Indonesians

The ride-hailing boom has yielded cases of sexual harassment – and even murder. As the #MeToo movement galvanises women to speak out, they are watching to see how Grab and Go-Jek will prevent such offences

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A woman rides on the back of a motorbike, part of the Go-jek ride-hailing service, in central Jakarta. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:00am, 22 Oct 2018Updated: 7:02am, 22 Oct 2018

On an evening in early August, Riri Asria was tempted by a one-rupiah fare ride offered by ride-sharing firm Grab, so she installed the app and proceeded to book her first ever motorcycle-taxi with the company. Little did she know the short journey would evolve into a nightmare over the next few days.

During the ride to her relative’s house in Jakarta, which took under 30 minutes, the 25-year-old fresh college graduate struck up a conversation with the driver to reduce her anxiety of riding alone with a stranger at 10pm.

Her driver was more than happy to talk, and even reciprocated by making small talk and asking her the usual questions, such as where she came from.

A few days later, she received an email from Grab that said she had left an item in a vehicle and to call a driver’s number to retrieve it. Confused about which item she had left behind, she called the number.

“The driver laughed when I called him, it didn’t feel right so I hung up,” said Asria, who lives in the city of Malang in East Java. “He then texted me on WhatsApp, sent me a friend request on Facebook and followed me on Instagram. I felt so terrified so I blocked him.”