Go-Jek announces Southeast Asia's expansion into the market gap after Uber's swift exit

In southeast asia, Uber has left the region because Go-Jer the Indonesia-based ride-hailing company backed by Google, Tencent and others, has officially announced plans to move into four new markets.

Go-Jek  said today it will move into Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines initially offering ride-hailing but with plans to additional services, including on-demand shopping and services, over time. The company began offering a bike taxi service in Indonesia but has moved to taxis, private cars, mobile payments, food delivery and services like massages on-demand.

The company said it will invest $500 million into the region in the next coming months.

“We believe the best way for us to expand internationally is by partnering with talented local teams who share our vision and know exactly what will work best in their home countries,” Go-Jek CEO and founder Nadiem Makarim said in a statement.

GoJek has assessed the uncertainty in the region and has taken a full-on approach in the market to take control but hiring a number of Ubers former staff, which gives Gojerk an advantage in the Thai market.

GoJek has raised more than $2 billion from investors, including a recently closing a  $1.4 billion round investment. The company is widely seen as the market leader in Indonesia, but Grab is now moving into the rest of south-east Asia offering food deliveries and mobile payments