Traveloka joins ride-hailing services hinh anh 1CEO of Transport Traveloka Iko Putra (R) and Deputy President Director of PT Bluebird Adrianto Djokosoetono at the launch of the "QuickRide" service (Photo: Antara)

Jakarta (VNA) - Traveloka, the largest online travel start-up in Southeast Asia, has expanded into ride-hailing as part of its plan to become an all-encompassing digital platform, heating up the super app race in the region.

The Jakarta-based unicorn valued at 3 billion USD recently launched its QuickRide feature that allows users in 16 cities to book taxis from publicly listed local taxi provider Bluebird.

Iko Putra, CEO of transportation at Traveloka, said the company launched the new feature in response to increasing customer demand for on-demand ride-hailing. But there were no plans so far to introduce non-taxi ride-hailing.

He added that the Traveloka QuickRide service started from the increasing consumer need for transportation services within the city that are practical, safe, comfortable, and easily accessible via mobile phones. 

Last year, Traveloka doubled its profit in fintech with the introduction of a virtual credit card in association with the Central Bank of Indonesia and a function in gold investment in collaboration with the State-owned PT Pegadaian pawnbroker.

Gojek and Grab have been named pioneers in the super app race in Indonesia, as the two 'decacorns', or start-ups valued at more than 10 billion USD, launched their app in 2015./.

VNA