Blue Bird oh Blue Bird ...

It is heartbreaking to see the chaos on Jakarta main streets today. A group of mass transportation drivers, especially conventional taxis, are united to protest against application-based services such as Uber, Grab, and Gojek. As if blocking the roads is not enough, they also do vandalism. They attacked not only Uber and Gojek drivers, but even worse: fellow taxi drivers that were still serving customers. Many evidence recorded in photos and amateur videos that has gone viral all over social media channels.

My heart sank especially for Blue Bird Group. The only taxi company that I used to trust and rely on. The only taxi company that my husband allows me to ride. The only taxi company that returned my sister’s IDR 2 million that was left on the back seat. The only taxi company that saved a bag full of souvenirs that my niece’s left on the luggage. The only taxi company that covered not only cost of treatment, but also send people to accompany patient in hopsital who get hit on the road while riding the taxi.

I used to be happy with their reputation. When I was almost scammed by a taxi driver in KLIA airport 3 years ago, my Malaysian friend told me that he never trust ANY taxi company in his country. I proudly told him that thankfully in Indonesia, we have Blue Bird Group. I told him that Blue Bird is the face of Indonesian hospitality: polite and honest. They set the bar high for other players to compete. Back then, they were even the disruptor of the business, that many local players protested their expansion.

But now, they positioned themselves as the victim of disruptive competition. Instead of launching better apps to compete with Uber or Grab, they demand the competitors to legalize the service. When Uber and Grab has fully done the legalisation; i.e. set up a company in Indonesia, they are not satisfied yet. The drivers want the government to shut down those applications. And people were like, hello, do you guys mean that you would also shut down your own apps and tell your customers to get back on the road to wait for you in the rain in the middle of the night?

I used to be proud that Blue Bird Group was the first taxi company in the world that built mobile reservations since 2011. Unfortunately, the apps doesn’t show any significant update within 5 years. Just last month I told my friend Ollie in Ritz Carlton, that if only Blue Bird service and application was upgraded to be as good as Uber, I would love to stick to Blue Bird. Ironically, in just a few minutes after that, I got bad experience from Blue Bird driver. He drove like crazy, spoke impolitely, and the taxi was smelly. I reported it to their official twitter account, got a reply, but no follow up.

I already uttered my aspirations directly to Pak Teguh, Head of PR Blue Bird Group and Pak Suhartono, Labor Union Chairman of Blue Bird Group last year. While others were enjoying bonfire in Hulu Cai Bogor during Blogger Camp, three of us discussed about Blue Bird apps and its rooms for improvements. Rating system for the drivers, tracking system on the apps, sharing ETA, and most importantly: cashless method of payment. They said just wait, they’re building the new system. Almost 6 months has passed, and nothing changed (yet). Rumor from my developer friends: it’s all about the money.

But the number says different. In the first 9 months of 2015, Blue Bird Group has gained IDR 625 billion NETT revenue. That means 16% growth compared to 2014. Their President Director clearly stated that even though competition affects the way they work, it doesn’t affect their financials. If only they would invest at least 1% of their nett revenue to upgrade their mobile reservation system, which is urgently needed to win back the competition…

In press conference held today, Blue Bird management stated they are not held responsible for what happened today. They released a statement 2 days ago that they DON’T encourage their drivers to join mass demonstration. But no one can push aside the fact that the demonstration today was dominated by taxi drivers wearing their uniform, driving their fleets. The polite, honest, reliable taxi drivers has transformed into “hangry” people. Hangry is a special term made by my 8 year old daughter to describe someone who is “hang” (read: error) because s/he is hungry and angry at the same time. The 24-hour free ride offer didn’t get good sympathy from netizens. On contrary, Gojek did better PR & crisis management move.

44 years effort of building reputation and integrity, gone in just one day… Come on, Blue Bird, you are much better than this!

PS: Hats off to the real Blue Bird drivers who still serve customers and declined to join the vandalism.

Tuesday, 22 March 2016

Nuniek Tirta Sari

Kenapa Saya Suka Pakai Uber

Jika saya CEO Blue Bird Group

Surat Terbuka Untuk Pak Jonan

What I Learned from Timothy Tiah - Founder of Nuffnang

Last Sunday when I entered VIP room at JWEF , I was introduced to this guy with his mini version boy on his lap, and his pretty wife with white top and red skirt. We had chit chat and he told me he’d be in Jakarta this Tuesday, and I told him that we’d have 57th #Startuplokal Monthly Meetup on Tuesday night. To be really honest, only a very few did I know about him until he shared his amazing story on JWEF stage a few minutes later, and get inspired that I took note and now share this with you all. Timothy Tiah founded Nuffnang with Cheo Ming Shen at 2006 when he was 22 years old, with 150k RM startup capital, partly borrowed from his father. He simply founded it because there’s nobody built it before, while the demand was actually there. The site was launched in February 2007. Sales ≠ cashflow On earlier years, although Nuffnang sales highrocketed, the cashflow was poor. At one point he only has 5k left in bank, while there were invoices need to be paid out urgently. He came to Hon...

Saya Nuniek Tirta, bukan ((hanya)) seorang Istri Direktur

Catatan penting: untuk mencapai pemahaman penuh, mohon klik dan baca setiap tautan. Awalnya adalah pertanyaan . Membuahkan suatu jawaban . Diposting di akun pribadi, seperti yang biasa saya lakukan sejak hampir 15 tahun lalu , bahkan sebelum Mark Zuckerberg membuat Facebook. Jawaban yang juga autopost ke facebook itu menjadi viral, ketika direshare oleh lebih dari 20ribu orang, dengan emoticon lebih dari 38ribu, dan mengundang 700++ komentar. Kemudian menjalar liar, ketika portal-portal media online mengcopas ditambah clickbaits. Tidak ada media yang mewawancara saya terlebih dahulu ke saya kecuali satu media yang menghasilkan tulisan berkelas dengan data komprehensif ini . Well, ada juga yang sempat email ke saya untuk meminta wawancara, tapi belum sempat saya jawab, sudah menurunkan berita duluan selang sejam setelah saya posting foto di bustrans Jakarta . Selebihnya... Tidak ada yang konfirmasi terlebih d...

Staycation, Wedding Edition

A simple staycation turns magical; with seaside noodles, wedding joy, hotel robots, and small surprises that quietly reset the soul.

What's the point of wealth?

At Permata Wealth Wisdom, lessons on economy and neurology collide; revealing that true resilience begins with a connected, healthy mind.

A Series of Plot Twists

A day full of unexpected turns becomes a reminder to embrace life’s plot twists with humor, grace, and gratitude; because detours make the best stories.

The Waiting Room of Life

There are few things in life that test our character more than waiting. Not the kind of waiting where you’re stuck in traffic with your favorite playlist on, but the heavy kind; waiting without certainty. The waiting that weighs on you because you don’t know if it will end tomorrow, next month, or next year. I’ve been thinking a lot about this today because something big just wrapped up. A long-awaited promise was finally fulfilled. And in the process, I witnessed firsthand how differently people behave when placed in the uncomfortable chair of “ the waiting room of life. ” Imagine a waiting room where everyone has been told their name will be called someday, maybe soon, maybe late. You’d see at least two kinds of people. Some people sit quietly, open a book, maybe start a new project on the side while glancing occasionally at the clock. They don’t need to narrate their suffering to the entire room. They choose dignity over drama. They know that patience doesn’t have to be ...

What if peace had an address?

An early trip to Puncak leads to riverside calm, local kindness, and quiet joy.

Perawatan wajah dan cerita masa muda

Andaikata blog dan social media saya punya semacam FAQ (Frequently Asked Question, alias pertanyaan yang paling sering ditanyakan), sudah pasti di urutan pertama akan bertengger pertanyaan: "Pakai produk perawatan wajah apa?" Banyaaaakkk banget follower instagram / facebook / twitter saya yang nanya gitu, dan minta saya mengulasnya. Saya bilang sabar, tunggu tanggal mainnya. Tapi sebelum saya jawab pertanyaan itu, saya mau mengenang masa muda dulu ah.. Jadi begini cucuku... Waktu pertama kali ngeblog 15 tahun lalu , usia saya masih 21 (yak silakan dihitung usia saya sekarang berapa, pinterrrr). Jadi jangan heran kalo gaya bahasanya masih 4I_aY 4b3zzz.. (eh ga separah itu juga sih, hehe). Tapi ekspresi nulisku di masa-masa itu masih pure banget, nyaris tanpa filter. Jadi kalo dibaca lagi sampai sekarang pun masih berasa seru sendiri. Kayak lagi nonton film dokumenter pribadi. Kadang bikin ketawa ketiwi sendiri, kadang bikin mikir, kadang bi...

Waiting and Celebrating

This morning was wonderfully slow, the kind of slow where time doesn’t feel wasted but savored. Everyone in the house had their own lazy rhythm. No alarms, no rush, just soft hours unfolding. By two in the afternoon, we finally left for Pondok Gede to check our first house. We had it lightly renovated: The old, tired canopy was taken down, so the two-story house could breathe and look elegant again. The walls and fence got a fresh coat of white paint, giving it that “new beginnings” look. The cracked tiles were replaced, no more tripping hazards waiting for unsuspecting guests. The windows were repainted, catching a bit of shine when the sun hits. House for sell or rent, near Mall Pondok Gede. Contact here. Now it’s neat, clean, and... how do I say this... ready to meet its "jodoh". Although we don’t know yet if the match is a buyer or a tenant. Should we sell it? Should we rent it out? We don’t have the answer yet. And for someone like me, uncertainty is both fascinating a...

Less Fighting, More Understanding

Sunday mornings have this magical way of stretching out slowly, like they don’t want to end. This morning was one of those slow mornings, the kind where the house hums gently, everyone moves at their own pace, and there’s no rush to do anything other than exist. We had plans to go to church, but of course, life had its own little lesson in patience: the War Ticket frenzy. Thousands of people rushing online just to get a spot for worship every week; it’s kind of insane when you think about it. Praise the Lord indeed for the technology that lets us all battle for our pews without elbowing anyone physically. After church, we went for a late lunch, and that’s when I discovered MOKKA tucked away in a corner of the mall. I’ve walked past this mall so many times, but I never noticed it before. It’s funny how sometimes good things are hiding in plain sight, waiting for someone else to point them out. The restaurant was quiet compared to the line at Lekko just down the hall. And while MOKKA’s f...

The Diary of a CEO's Wife

Search This Blog