Students from the Master’s Program in Business and Public Law at the Faculty of Law, Gadjah Mada University (MHBK FH UGM) successfully hosted a legal education broadcast titled “Online Motorcycle Taxis: Rights, Obligations, and Legal Protections That Are Still Overlooked,” which aired on RRI Pro 2 102.5 FM. The legal awareness broadcast, which took place on Wednesday (August 6, 2025), was a collaborative program between students of the MHBK program, the FHUGM Center for Legal Consultation and Assistance, and RRI Yogyakarta. This broadcast aimed to provide legal education and raise public legal awareness, particularly regarding the legal protection of online motorcycle taxi drivers in terms of their legal status and the fulfillment of their rights.
The program featured two guest speakers. R Rolly Wijayakusuma, S.H., M.H., Managing Partner of Rolly & Associates Law Office, served as the partner speaker. Meanwhile, the student outreach team was represented by Boyi Well Djon, S.H., a student in the MHBK program at the Faculty of Law, UGM. The event was also supported by Pregrinus Rangga, S.H., and Retno Wulandari, S.H., both from the same program, who served as members of the legal education team.
The broadcast began with a question posed by the host: “What is the legal status of online motorcycle taxi drivers in the registration process?” Boyi Well Djon responded that, from a strictly legal standpoint, the current status of online motorcycle taxi drivers is that of a partnership based on a partnership agreement between the driver and the app operator. “However, it is alleged that this relationship is a sham partnership. First, important decisions are made solely by the app operator without meaningful participation from the drivers—such as setting fares, penalties, bonuses, algorithms, and so on. Second, the concept of ‘sham control’ puts pressure on workers, thereby creating a work culture under the app operator’s control,” Boyi continued.
The next issue, according to Boyi, is that there are still legal loopholes or gaps. This is because there are no clear regulations regarding the legal status, as well as the rights and obligations, of online motorcycle taxi drivers and app operators. “In addition to considering Indonesia’s internal conditions, lawmakers can also learn from other countries that have already regulated this matter, such as Singapore (with its Platform Workers Framework),” Boyi added.
R. Rolly Wijayakusuma then continued the discussion by explaining that protections for online motorcycle taxi drivers are still limited to implementing regulations and lack a higher legal basis. “Clear regulations regarding rights and obligations are the cornerstone of legal protection for online motorcycle taxi drivers during the registration process.” Furthermore, regulations on this matter are also expected to serve as a means of ensuring equality regarding the rights and obligations of each party—whether online motorcycle taxi drivers or the app operators. The urgency of establishing these rules moving forward lies in drafting a bill that will specifically regulate the matter, ratifying relevant international conventions, or learning from countries that have already addressed this issue, so that the elements of legal protection are fulfilled. “There must be clear regulations so that there is no longer any uncertainty or ambiguity that could disadvantage the weaker party in the partnership,” explained Rolly.
Both speakers also agreed on the importance of legal protection for the rights that online motorcycle taxi drivers are entitled to, regardless of whether they are classified in the future as partners, employees, or somewhere in between. These rights include the right to decent work, fair wages, social security (covering accidents, death, old age, retirement, and health care), the right to organize, and so on. However, future policy and regulatory directions must also take into account the overall impact, such as the business sustainability of ride-hailing platforms, consumer interests, and the balance of the gig economy ecosystem itself. Therefore, the guiding principle is that the legal protections provided must constitute a win-win solution for the rights, obligations, and interests of all relevant parties.
This outreach program is expected to have a positive impact and provide tangible benefits to the community, in the form of a better understanding and increased legal awareness regarding the status and rights that online motorcycle taxi drivers are entitled to. With this legal understanding and awareness, the community will be more aware of their rights and obligations, enabling them to be proactive in advocating for the rights they are entitled to. Furthermore, the public can also advocate for and contribute to the development of regulations that promote justice, public benefit, and legal certainty.
Moreover, this legal awareness broadcast also aims to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 4 (Quality Education) through educational broadcasts that raise public legal awareness; SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) through the program’s main topics, which discuss the rights that online ride-hailing drivers are entitled to and the struggle to achieve them; and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) by advocating for regulations that guarantee legal protection for online ride-hailing drivers during the registration process. This also serves as a win-win solution for all parties, thereby realizing justice and the rule of law.
Author: Boyi Well Djon (Student in the MHBK Program and Recipient of the 2025 PKBH Legal Outreach Grant)
