Online Taxi Bikes Phenomenon: Partnership or Exploitation?
By: Azwa Safrina
Tags: Startup, Social Stratification, Indonesia, Online, Transportation

Photo by Eugenia Clara on Unsplash

According to a survey conducted by Institut Transportasi (INSTRAN), the phenomenon of online taxi bikes drivers as a “partner” for the companies that manage them has been arising a striking question: is it a new field of labor or human exploitation? This question can emerge due to the companies that have applied certain standards of performance, rating, and minimum mobility calculated per day for the drivers. If the drivers are unable to meet the standard, their rating will fall and no bonus will be given although the majority of online taxi bikes drivers rely on bonuses to fulfill their daily needs. The survey received 300 drivers as respondents, the results are the drivers (81.4%) work more than 9 hours/day with the majority of their gross income (excluding food, gasoline, and cigarettes) averaging only IDR 150 thousand / day (73.7%). In order to bring IDR 150,000 / gross day for their wife and children, these drivers have to work furiously for more than 12 hours/day and this work must be done every single day to support themselves and their family. The “partnership” relation also discharges the company from the obligations of providing minimum wages, overtime pay, social security (health, pension, and manpower), and holiday allowances (THR) for the drivers.

Therefore, this case reflects how social stratification actually exists in the illusion of “partnership” relation with the company or as Marx called “false consciousness” which is a state where owners convinced workers that their situation is compatible. As Weber’s socioeconomic status (SES) hierarchy, it can be analyzed which the two actors (people working inside the company and the drivers) stand on the levels: the company people being on the higher level than the drivers. The important factors influencing how people fall into the level are income, education, and occupation. It can be examined that most of these drivers originated from the lower-income families that impacted their education then resulting in lower prestigious occupations: this being contrary to the conditions that happened for the majority of people working inside the company.

The social-conflict theory defines stratification as a division of a society’s resources that benefits some people and disadvantages others. Based on the survey data, it can be seen which people are earning the advantages and which are harmed. However, to discern this case in the symbolic-interaction theory associating with the impacts of unequal rewards, people may or may not considered unequal rewards as fair. We can see this in how unequal rewards urging drivers to work in more excellent service and attitude, also they are determined to work harder in order to get the bonuses they crave to attain. But despite that, when the social stratification is on a more substantial extent which even leads to human exploitation, the companies and drivers’ “partnership” relation can actually ensue the further gap between the two that occurs to oppression and misery for the people on the lower level.