Technology drivers have side jobs that make money, not as much as real celebrities, but enough for them to make a living – Photo: Rest of the World
Page rest of the world Said Ms. Empo Bhabe is a full-time technology driver for Gojek in Indonesia. The 44-year-old has garnered 250,000 followers by sharing videos about her daily life, from the hardships of being a motorcycle taxi driver to the life of a simple mother.
After 3 years of hard work, Mpo Bhabe has grown from free advertising to 200 USD (about 4.7 million VND) per video. This amount is equivalent to more than half a month’s minimum wage for people in Jakarta, where she lives.
With 4 sponsored videos per month, MPO Bhabe earns an average of $3/day. Not a lot, but considering it’s only a part-time job that can bring in double the minimum wage, it’s still a huge amount.
In fact, thanks to this job, MPO Bhabe was able to buy a small house and pay off most of his debt.
MPO Bhabe is one of the many techie taxi and motorbike taxi drivers from Southeast Asia who have become a popular TikToker. These drivers describe their daily lives, sometimes even romantically. Sometimes it is a toxic meeting, sometimes a monologue on social issues, or a staged tragic comedy with a dramatic ending.
These videos sometimes reach millions of views which translate into advertising and sponsorship deals for the drivers.
“I look around and record”
Jesse Bowman, CEO of Slice Group, which develops digital tools in Indonesia, told Rest of the World: “The reason these motorbike taxi drivers get so much attention is because they are so authentic. These content creators are becoming entrepreneurs.”
Making TikTok videos helped this 44-year-old mother raise 9 kids – Photo: MPO Bhabe/TikTok
In terms of primary jobs, people like MPO Bhabe face a tough choice: driving 12 hours a day to earn enough money or find a new job. Video recording tiktok becomes an ideal part time job.
Just a smartphone and simple video editing tools are enough for practice. These drivers get their ingredients from what they see and hear while driving or delivering food. They would then take advantage of the editing while at home during breaks or in the evenings.
If MPO Bhabe’s case is one of needing a second job to support life (a mother of 9 kids), then some people are just looking for the feeling of being a social media celebrity, escaping from boring daily work.
Ha Wan Kang’s video about the shipper’s favorite package has been viewed 2.1 million times – photo cropped from video
Ha Van Cong, 25, is a Grab motorbike taxi driver living in Hanoi. He invested VND 15 million ($632) for filming equipment, including a 360-degree camera. He has started making videos seriously since June itself.
The content of one of the videos that attracted the most viewers was “Top order shipper most loved”, which featured an image of a key.
reveal to rest of the worldWithin a month of launching on TikTok, an advertising agency offered him VND750,000 ($31.60) to make a video about Grab’s insurance products for drivers and passengers.
“I want to make funny videos about the life of a driver and build my own brand,” he said, hoping to monetize his YouTube channel, which has attracted nearly 6,800 followers so far.
Thu Quist Thomson, CEO of Decision Lab, a Ho Chi Minh City-based market research company, said: “A community of tech drivers has been creating vlogs on YouTube for many years, attracting thousands.million views. Now, TikTok is another The platform opens up new audiences.”
“If I hadn’t filmed the video, I would have quit my job as a technology driver.”
Pham Van Man is also a motorcycle taxi driver in Hanoi. Last year, along with two friends, he invested 70 million dong ($2,950) to buy a 360-degree camera, mic and MacBook to create digital content.
Videos that often revolve around interactions between driver and passenger attract a lot of viewers – photo clipped from Pham Van Man’s video on TikTok
Manh drives to Grab every day, brainstorming material and storyboards, while his collaborators edit. Each week, the group releases a video, much of which revolves around a conversation between Manh and passengers, ranging from grieving girls to real estate investors, that has amassed nearly 76,000 followers and is well on its way to the top. is on The $100,000 milestone is right up there this year. His team earned 4 million dong ($170) from the sponsored video.
talk to rest of the worldHe said that the job of a driver is very silver, it is very difficult. “If I had not made this channel, I would have given up. I sympathize with those people who work as motorbike taxi drivers. They have to drive from 9 in the morning to 11 at night.”
Slice Group’s Bowman classifies these drivers as “micro-influencers,” who create digital content that attracts thousands of followers. Advertisers love these channels because of their “real” following.
Rika Goldi talks about serious issues in the society or difficulties faced by women drivers – photo taken from video by Rika Goldi/TIkTok
While sweet, warm content often drives engagement, videos related to controversial social issues draw attention too. In March, 28-year-old Rica Goldie’s second video became a “hit”. This is a monologue about the discrimination women motorcycle taxi drivers face in Jakarta.
He said, “We often get canceled by male passengers almost every day. I have a driving license. I have also attended Gojek’s safety training course. So if you don’t want to sit behind female drivers, please be yourself.” drive.”
The video has currently been viewed over 6 million times. Goldie now has over 60,000 followers. Every month, she receives several advertising contracts worth around 1 million rupees (65 USD or 1.55 million VND).
However, the more famous drivers like Goldie are, the more pressure they face to create new content that will attract viewers. They worry that their clips will become out of date and then forgotten.
(TagstoTranslate) tech motorbike taxi driver
