Jakarta trip reflection, social impact of on-demand apps

Written by our. Co-founder, Meriza

Over the long holiday weekend, my family and I went for a short trip to Jakarta. It was a great deal, not only did we get the flight tickets at rock bottom prices, but the hotel was on offer too. I heard so many stories about Indonesia, and Jakarta was a place that I wanted to observe and perhaps learn from them.

In Jakarta, on demand services such as e-hailing and any labour services were abundant and for sale. Apps like ours, had services ranging from transportation, food delivery, home cleaning and even massages.

So I set myself to test the services through these on-demand app.

Firstly the trip from the airport to the hotel took about 1 hour. Using the Bluebird taxis would cost something like 300,000 rupiahs (or about RM100), and I was eager to try the on-demand apps. It cost only 100,000 rupiahs.

There was another incident when I wanted to try their food delivery service. Jakarta’s coffees are to die for, and there was this one particular drink that I was craving to have more (whilst I was still there) called Es Coffee Batavia which was available at Plaza Indonesia. Plaza Indonesia was about 1 hour from our hotel.

Traffic in Jakarta was not only very congested, but can be dangerous especially for motor cycle drivers. The food delivery service which had the man queue for my Es Coffee Batavia, brave through the traffic, and literally endanger himself through the chaos that is Jakarta traffic, park his motorcycle and wait for me at the hotel lobby – all for 18000 rupiahs or just above RM5.

Most people will get excited about the low cost of labour in Jakarta or Indonesia, but as I did spend my university days in England, their welfare for workers rubbed on me. Not only at Maideasy we want to provide opportunity for our Malaysian brethren the chance to earn an income, we make sure it’s a fair income and drawn up rules and conditions for both our cleaning crew and customers so that both sides are taken care off. We make sure that our crew has the right tools (some provided by the customers) to do the job so that they can do the job effectively without endangering themselves.

Maideasy calls itself a technology company. We develop the crew management interface, as well as the apps and website so that customers can easily book a session from us.

Efficiency in our operations is high on the list. That is how a technology company operate, by being efficient and if the job could be done by a program more efficiently and cost effectively, we will design the program. It’s also important for you to know that the profits, efficiency and cost savings we reap at Maideasy goes back to our workers – the operations team AND the cleaning crew. That’s how our cleaning crew can earn a comfortable income, have good working terms by using Maideasy’s technology.

I will give you an example. In my part time, I am also a writer, and stories make for good subjects for my writing. And I was having a conversation with one of the crew who does ironing at my house. She said she’s been with Maideasy for over a year, and the income she earns from Maideasy goes to supporting her special needs son at a private school.

For a customer, know that the money you pay for Maideasy services goes to things like this – care for sick parents or special needs children, rent, food, education and we hope a little savings for a rainy day. I am always on the lookout for benefits provided by NGO’s or government organisations so that our cleaning crew have dignified and better lives. Last year, Maideasy had a 6 month collaboration with SOLS247 to be able to understand the crew from a psychologist point of view, and we have added our findings as part of our crew training for them to be onboard Maideasy. SOLS247 also provides counselling and mental health program for the underpriviledged and whenever our crew has issues like these, they know they get help when we refer them to SOLS247.

I personally believe that companies can do good to the local community and be profitable at the same time. At Maideasy we want to do just that, and it makes me happy that when our customers support us by using our services, they not only sustain our company but do good to the community too.