But I swear it was for a good reason

Disclaimer: I do not cry very easily. It is actually a Herculean task for me to shed a tear, even when I feel sad.

Back when the movie Titanic (1997) was released, everybody seemed to be lamenting about Rose letting go of Jack and allowing him to drown in the ocean. It was a painfully romantic scene, they all said. But my heart remained unmoved. It was a movie about a sinking boat; if you had to cry, then cry for all the victims and the boat company for allowing this to happen. Not for romance.

But one night, in 2016, I was immediately brought to tears when I ordered dinner through Go-Food, the food delivery service of Indonesian ride-hailing giant Go-Jek.

Nothing remarkable happened when I ordered my food; everything was business as usual. I struggle to remember the menu that I had picked, but it was likely from a nearby Chinese restaurant.

This was why it was such a surprise when the driver took more than an hour to deliver the meal. Just as I was about to complain, the door bell rang. I rushed to the door only to be greeted by not one, but two Go-Jek drivers standing in front of the gate.

I was seeing double. I must have been really hungry.

But when Driver One greeted me, I realised that I was not hallucinating: There were indeed two Go-Jek drivers –which was unusual and unlikely. They both arrived at my place using a single motorbike that belonged to Driver Two.

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Before I had the opportunity to ask, Driver One explained that he had to deliver the meal by hitchhiking a ride with the second driver.

After he picked up my meal at the restaurant, Driver One was on his way to deliver when he had a flat tire. In the midst of this catastrophe, Driver Two showed up and offered to help him. He happened to be waiting for an order nearby — I imagined under a tree — and saw the whole incident. His friends, who also happened to be hanging out around the spot, even offered to keep watch of Driver One’s motorbike.

Both drivers were very proud of the fact that they managed to complete this task — together.

Now, I always have respect for people who are committed. Especially those who work really hard to fulfil this commitment.

There could be many reasons why the drivers were so determined to deliver the meal on time. Most likely, it involved money. But in my life, I have seen many instances when people failed to fulfil their commitment and not feel ashamed of it. (Yes, we are supposed to view failure positively but I do not think this is the kind of failure we are talking about.)

Also, it takes a certain level of maturity to be genuinely happy about another’s success, especially when you had nothing to gain from it.

This is why the two Go-Jek drivers made me cry that night. Two honest, hardworking gentlemen exercised great teamwork in order to make sure a task got done. They did this despite the fact that the financial gain can only go the first person, and the second person will get nothing but a smile and a thank you.  (And an op-ed on e27, because you are amazing, sir).

When it was first launched, Go-Jek was seen as the answer to many customer pain points. As the years go by, some of these points may stand while some do not.

There have been criticism against the company for adjusting their tariff and making their driver-partners work harder for less. My blood boils every time I hear of something like this, especially when I think of the two Go-Jek drivers that I met that night.

Also Read: Grab wants to take Indonesia from Go-Jek with US$6.5b funding goal

As customers, I believe that it is within our obligation to ensure that businesses are being run ethically and that it remains true to its vision of society empowerment, starting from those who had made their success possible. It can begin from our willingness to pay for their services just a little bit more, and yes, always tip your drivers especially when they do their job well.

I also believe that at this level, the company can afford to increase their tariff and not losing their customers, as it has become such an integral part of many Indonesians’ lives –like Teh Botol.

For many of these drivers, companies such as Go-Jek have made their life better than before. We need them to remain that way.

 

The post This is the story of how two Go-Jek drivers once made me cry appeared first on e27.