A survey by the Institute for Demographic and Affluence Studies (IDEAS) reveals that 90.96% of online motorcycle taxi (ojol) respondents had debt in August 2026, while those without debt stood at 9.04%.
Among the group with debt, respondents reported varying amounts of remaining loan balances.
The largest bracket of remaining debt was more than Rp20 million, accounting for 25.67% of respondents. This was followed by the Rp10 million–Rp20 million bracket at 20.29%.
Combined, these two tiers account for nearly half of all indebted respondents.
"This figure indicates that the debt borne by drivers is not merely small short-term loans," IDEAS stated in its report titled Economic Conditions and Debt Ownership of Ojol Drivers.
Below is the breakdown of the remaining debt brackets held by Indonesian ojol respondents in August 2026:
Total outstanding debts (483 respondents)
- Below Rp1 million: 5.38%
- Rp1-3 million: 15.73%
- Rp3-5 million: 14.08%
- Rp5-10 million: 18.84%
- Rp10-20 million: 20.29%
- More than Rp20 million: 25.67%
The amount of outstanding debts borne by ojol drivers is in line with the daily installments they have to pay. It was noted that ojol drivers most often experience daily installments of more than Rp100,000, accounting for 28.57% of respondents.
Here are the details of the daily installments of Indonesian ojol drivers in August 2026:
Daily installments (483 respondents)
- Below Rp20,000: 12.01%
- Rp20,000-Rp39,999: 20.29%
- Rp40,000-Rp59,999: 17.18%
- Rp60,000-Rp79,999: 12.63%
- Rp80,000-Rp99,999: 9.32%
- Rp100,000 or more: 28.57%.
IDEAS explained that drivers enter financing schemes with substantial liabilities, while the majority of their net daily earnings remain below Rp100,000 per day.
"This gap between the large remaining debt and thin earnings creates a dual burden, where drivers not only have to meet daily living needs but also shoulder hefty installments that require a long time to pay off amid uncertain incomes," IDEAS stated.
The survey involved 483 out of a total of 531 online motorcycle taxi (ojol) drivers spread across 51 regencies/cities in 13 provinces. Male respondents accounted for the majority at 65.91%, while female respondents made up 34.09%.
Conducted online from August 23 to 27, 2026, the study utilized a non-probability sampling method with a purposive sampling approach.
Respondent recruitment was carried out through the network of the Federation of Online Driver Unions (FSPEED) across various regions. Select questions allowed multiple responses, enabling respondents to choose more than one answer.