Some of you already predicted it when Blue Bird announced that they would be giving away free rides all day today in order to make up for its drivers’ violent protests yesterday, but, yeah, it looks like you’ll have to jump through hoops if you want to successfully order one of those “free” taxis today.
We tried to call the Blue Bird hotline ourselves a couple of times this morning, only to hear the busy tone on each occasion.
Kompas also reported having a difficult time ordering a Blue Bird cab this morning. They tried several times through the company’s hotline and app, but only managed to order a taxi after 30 minutes of trying.
Netizens are also complaining about the supposed lack of taxis, with the hashtag #PercumaGratis (no point in being free) becoming a top trending topic in Jakarta this morning.
#PercumaGratis if the app isn’t working as it should be.
Not only that, we spotted one netizen who reported that his Blue Bird taxi driver still turned on the meter for his ride.
They said it’s FREE, but as soon as I went inside the cab the driver turned on the meter! Haha! They only wanted to look good in the media.
News outlet Media Indonesia also received reports that some drivers were misinterpreting the free ride offer while others were choosing to disregard it completely out of fear that they’d still have to pay their higher ups at the end of their shifts.
Have you tried to score a free Blue Bird ride today? Let us know on our Facebook page if you had more luck than us or if it’s as frustratingly difficult as people say.
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