Indonesian ride-hailing giant Go-Jek is one step closer to a full roll-out of its services in Thailand after launching the beta version of its local affiliate app GET. The app currently offers two services — a ride-hailing service called GET WIN and a courier service called GET DELIVERY.
However, it promises that more “lifestyle services” are to come. In its description, the app says it is “managed and run by Thais for Thais” and that it is “equipped with world-class technology and expertise from Go-Jek”. Prior to the beta launch of the booking app, GET had launched an app for its drivers on November 22. The company claims that app has recorded over 1,000 downloads in less than a month.
Thailand becomes the third country outside Indonesia Go-Jek has forayed into as part of its $500-million expansion plan, having previously launched its services in Vietnam and Singapore. The Indonesian unicorn launched its operations in Vietnam in September through a local affiliate and brand called Go-Viet. It started off offering only ride-hailing and courier services but has recently started piloting the Go-Food service in the country.
In Singapore, Go-Jek launched the beta version of its app late last month, as the first step towards its full roll-out which it expects to happen in early 2019. As of mid-December, the beta app on Play Store has had over 10 million downloads. In its expansion to the Thai market, Go-Jek had said that it has been faced with a unique set of challenges such as the strong local culture which only allows motorbike taxis to drive in certain areas. “So it’s about figuring out how to operate in that society, and over time work with the guys who own the rights in those various neighbourhoods.
That way we need to be a little more adaptive when it comes to growth,” Go-Jek’s Vice President for International Expansion, Andrew Murphy, had said during a panel discussion organised by HubSpot Singapore in October. After Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand, the Philippines is expected to the next target market for Go-Jek. However, the company’s efforts in the Philippines hit a roadblock after the country’s transportation authority rejected the company’s application, citing an existing moratorium on accrediting transport network companies.
Go-Jek is reportedly finalizing a $2-billion funding round to boost its international expansion plans. Meanwhile, its arch-rival Grab yesterday announced a $150-million investment from Japan’s Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd, as part of its ongoing Series H funding round. The funding comes little over a month after Grab raised $250 million from automaker Hyundai Motor and its affiliate Kia Motors, and another $50 million from Thailand’s KASIKORN Bank. In total, the Singapore-headquartered firm has now raised $2.9 billion in its Series H round.
