Grab Indonesia is taking a cautious stance as the government moves toward new rules on online transport worker protection and platform commissions. The company says it is ready to follow presidential direction, but it will wait for the official regulation before assessing how the policy should be applied.
That wait-and-see approach comes after President Prabowo Subianto publicly raised the issue of commission deductions for online motorcycle taxi drivers during his Labor Day speech. His comments put pressure on the industry, where the split between driver earnings and platform fees has long shaped both income and service sustainability.
Watching for the final rule
Grab Indonesia says it cannot take a technical position until the President’s Regulation is formally issued. The company wants to study the contents carefully so that any implementation will be accurate and aligned with the final policy text.
Neneng Goenadi, CEO of Grab Indonesia, said the company respects the President’s direction and wants to support the government’s effort to improve people’s living standards. Grab also said it will coordinate with the government and other stakeholders as the policy takes shape.
For Grab, this is not only an administrative adjustment. The company sees commission changes as something that touches the core of the digital platform business model, which operates as a marketplace.
Why the commission issue drew attention
Prabowo’s remarks at the Labor Day event in Monas, Jakarta, brought the issue into the national spotlight. He said commission cuts above 10 percent were too large and asked that the figure be kept below that threshold.
The statement mattered because it went straight to the relationship between platforms and driver partners. Commission policy affects how much drivers take home, while also shaping the room platforms have to keep services running smoothly.
Prabowo also sent a firm message to businesses that do not want to follow government policy, stressing that business in Indonesia must comply with the rules in force. That stance has made the transport platform sector pay close attention to what comes next.
Balancing driver income and consumer costs
Grab says any policy implementation must take into account protection for driver partners and affordable prices for consumers. The company also stresses the need to preserve the sustainability of the ride-hailing industry as a whole.
That balance is central to the discussion because changes in commission structure can affect driver earnings, service prices, and the long-term viability of the platform at the same time. Grab says it has prioritized support for driver partners and UMKM since it began operating.
As one of the major players in Southeast Asia, with a presence in more than 800 cities, the company says its ecosystem supports the livelihoods of millions of partners. That scale explains why any change in commission rules carries consequences beyond a single company.
The new presidential regulation
The government has already signed Presidential Regulation No. 27 of 2026 on the Protection of Online Transport Workers. The rule changes the revenue split from 80 percent for drivers to a minimum of 92 percent for drivers.
That shift reinforces a policy direction that places worker protection at the center. It also means platform operators like Grab will be directly affected by the revised commission and revenue-sharing structure as the new framework is applied.