With the evident popularity of Jakarta’s motorcycle startups like Go-Jek and HandyMantis, it’s fair to say that the city’s transport and delivery nervous system has potential to be rewired. Now, those two firms see another competitor in the form of Wheel Line.
Wheel Line is an on-demand courier and transportation company that utilizes motorcycle taxis, or “o-jeks” as they’re called in the archipelago. The company is brand new compared to its competitor Go-Jek, which has been around for a few years already, as it just launched in early January.
“I have a wine business that requires delivery to our customers which are located in diverse part of Jakarta, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi, and I found it hard to find a reliable courier service that can be trusted with the goods,” explains Wheel Line’s founder Chris Wibawa as he recalls the startup’s inception. “What is awesome about Wheel Line is that we stand by our motto, to deliver within two hours and also, we handle one order at a time to ensure care and precision.”
Wibawa says one strength his company has is that, at this stage, Wheel Line can pay close attention to each individual customer. The startup also offers customizable orders that can include additional requests. For example, a customer could order several different items in a single delivery parcel. These can also include things like delicate objects and perishable foods, not unlike the offerings of Wheel Line’s competitor HandyMantis.
Wheel Line charges customers based on the delivery zone they’re located in. According to Wibawa, there are eight zones. The first zone costs Rp 30,000 (US$2.30) and the price goes up to Rp 120,000 (US$9.25). The zones are calculated based on a radial distance from Wheel Line’s office in Muara Karang.
Wibawa didn’t comment on the details of his startup’s revenue, but he did say:
This market still has a lot of room to explore and expand…We provide A to Z services for our customers, not only in delivering goods or merchandise but also buying movie tickets, exchanging invoices, and more.
Currently, Wheel Line does not have a mobile app, as it simply takes orders via email and telephone. The same goes for its running mate HandyMantis. This is something the startup will need to create if it hopes to stay competitive with Go-Jek, a company that already has apps for Android and iOS, and claims more than 2,500 drivers.
Currently, Wheel Line is a fully bootstrapped operation and all marketing to date has been done through word-of mouth. However, Wibawa says he is open to hear about opportunities and potential partnerships. “For now we have a centralized process which is effective since it allows us to supervise more closely and provide the best service to our customers,” says Wibawa.
