Indonesia is on edge, as the people are protesting all across the country against excessive parliamentary pay amidst weakening economy, lost jobs, and rising cost of living.
In the middle of all this, super app Grab has become an unexpected lifeline for many of its drivers and couriers after Malaysians discovered that they could flip their app location to Indonesia, order and pay for the food, and just tell the driver to keep them. It’s a feature meant for convenience when people travel, but in this moment it became something else, a way to get money directly into the hands of drivers in the middle of unrest.
And it matters. Grab lost two of its own drivers during these riots, one in Makassar and one in Jakarta. The platform may have intended this as a convenience tool, but right now it’s a lifeline, turning into an unexpected facilitator of aid when people need it most.
What makes it even more powerful is where it’s happening. Malaysians doing this over their Independence Day weekend, quietly sending support across the border. These are two nations that bicker endlessly about heritage, culture, football, you name it, but when crisis hits, their instinct to help kicks in.
Because at the end of the day, this isn’t about food delivery or app features. It’s about how, when everything else is breaking down, people will still find ways to take care of each other even if it means turning a ride-hailing app into a relief channel.
#TootSEA #Indonesia #Malaysia #Grab