On the evening of April 27, a tragic train accident involving a taxi from Green SM, the ride-hailing company owned by billionaire Phạm Nhật Vượng, shook public opinion in Indonesia. According to the latest figures, the collision killed 16 women and children and injured 91 others.
Despite the incident drawing significant attention from major international news agencies, newspapers in Việt Nam have provided little coverage.
The Chain of Events
According to CNA, the disaster began on the evening of April 27 when a Green SM Indonesia electric taxi broke down at an unguarded railway crossing along Jalan Ampera in Bekasi City. The crossing had no warning lights or protective barriers.
This triggered what Indonesian media described as a “chain reaction” of disasters minutes later. A commuter train (KRL) struck the stalled taxi head-on, forcing an emergency evacuation.
Consequently, another train, PLB 5568A, was forced to halt on track No. 1 at Bekasi Timur Station. Simultaneously, the Argo Bromo Anggrek express train (KA 4), traveling from Gambir to Surabaya Pasar Turi, was unable to brake in time and slammed into the stationary PLB 5568A.
The impact completely crushed the final carriage of PLB 5568A, which was reserved exclusively for women under a 2010 Indonesian policy designed to prevent harassment.
According to the Jakarta Globe, initial reports on April 28 confirmed 15 deaths and 88 injuries. By midday on April 29, Indonesian media updated the casualty count to 107 victims, with 16 dead and 91 injured, making it one of the deadliest rail accidents in Indonesia in recent years. The deceased were taken to the National Police Hospital in East Jakarta for identification, while the injured were treated at various hospitals across Bekasi.
Authorities are expanding their investigation and questioning dozens of witnesses, including train crew members and the Green SM taxi driver, who had reportedly been working for only three days. Green SM Indonesia is the local branch of GSM (Green and Smart Mobility Joint Stock Company), founded by Phạm Nhật Vượng.
The company purchases all its electric taxis directly from VinFast, another enterprise owned by Phạm Nhật Vượng. Prior to this tragedy, Indonesian public discussion had already alleged that Green SM taxis were involved in two previous train collisions, with one reportedly occurring in October 2025 and another in December 2025.
Green SM’s Public Response
At noon on April 28, Green SM Indonesia released a brief 91-word statement on its Facebook page, noting it was “deeply concerned about the incident that occurred at the crossing area near Bekasi Timur Station on April 27, 2026, involving a Green SM vehicle and a passing train.”
A second press release followed minutes later. Both statements focused heavily on the company’s cooperation with authorities, stating it “fully supports the ongoing investigation” while repeatedly emphasizing that “safety and transparency remain our top priorities” and “committing to strictly uphold operational standards to ensure the safety of drivers, passengers, and the public.”
It was not until its final post on April 29 that the company addressed the human toll, writing: “Green SM extends its deepest condolences to the victims of the incident at East Bekasi Station.” This statement added that Green SM “is committed to standing with the people of Indonesia during this difficult time and will continue coordinating with relevant parties to ensure the necessary support.”
Notably, Green SM Indonesia published these statements exclusively on its social media platforms—Facebook, Instagram, and X—rather than on its official information portal. Furthermore, the company has offered no explanation for the vehicle’s sudden malfunction on the tracks and has yet to issue a public apology to the victims’ families. Phạm Nhật Vượng, owner of the Green SM brand, has also remained silent on the matter.
This lack of a formal apology contrasts with the response from the state railway operator, PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI), which promptly issued public condolences and apologies. The Indonesian government further committed to covering all medical expenses and providing financial support to the victims.
On April 28, recognizing the severity of the disaster, General Secretary and State President Tô Lâm sent official condolences to Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and the victims’ families.
Interestingly, news reports covering Tô Lâm’s message omitted any mention of Green SM. Subsequently, several state-run media channels reported on the accident by highlighting Green SM’s operational commitments, notably avoiding any discussion of the company’s potential responsibility.
Public Reaction in Indonesia
Public outrage against Green SM erupted in Indonesia on the night of April 27, fueled by videos of the company’s electric vehicle at the Bekasi Timur Station crash site circulating across X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. By April 28, the Indonesian newspaper tvonenews.com reported that public opinion had escalated into calls to “boycott the service” or “revoke Green SM’s taxi operating license.”
AP MOTOR, an outlet based in Denpasar, Bali, noted that some individuals had dubbed Green SM an “abnormal taxi” due to a string of frequent collisions in the Greater Jakarta area between March and April 2026. One social media user even bluntly stated that Green SM could face bankruptcy within a year if its safety issues were not immediately resolved.
On Tribunnews’ YouTube channel, which boasts 15.6 million subscribers, a commenter stated that Green SM “must take responsibility because the accident began with them,” accusing the company’s statements of being “designed to avoid responsibility” and “merely exploiting the situation.”
Green SM Indonesia’s official pages on Facebook, Instagram, and X were similarly flooded with angry reactions and intense criticism regarding the Việt Nam-based company’s failure to apologize or express immediate condolences. The overwhelming negative response forced the company to disable its comments sections. Netizens mocked the decision, claiming Green SM was “afraid of being blamed by netizens” and labeling the public relations strategy “a terrible move.”
One Indonesian-language Instagram post garnered over 4,000 interactions, 300 shares, and 300 comments by accusing the company’s refusal to apologize and its decision to “close comments” amounting to “arrogance.” Another post on the same platform generated over 15,000 interactions and nearly 2,000 comments.
According to an article by Ibn Naufal on the Indonesian news site inilah.com, Green SM Indonesia attempted to scrub references to its involvement from the Wikipedia entry detailing the Bekasi accident twice in a single day. These edits were allegedly executed “at the request of superiors” to “remove negative statements about the company.”
A Looming License Revocation
Just hours after the Monday, April 27 disaster at Bekasi Timur Station, the Directorate General of Land Transportation (Ditjen Hubdat) under the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub) summoned Green SM representatives for questioning.
On April 28, Director General Aan Suhanan announced the formation of a special team to conduct on-site inspections of the company’s taxi fleet in Bekasi City. The following day, April 29, the Ministry expanded these inspections to another Green SM depot in Kemayoran, Jakarta, while coordinating the ongoing investigation with the police and the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT).
Simultaneously, the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI) urged the KNKT to broaden its investigation beyond the train’s operating system. Deddy Herlambang, chairman of MTI’s Railway Forum, stressed the need to “dissect” the electric taxi’s reliability to determine if it “was the initial cause of the disaster.”
Herlambang explicitly stated, “KNKT is also expected to investigate the reliability or possible reliability issues of the electric taxi that may have malfunctioned on the tracks. If there are indeed weaknesses, the licensing of this electric taxi must be reevaluated.”
The call for license revocation echoed strongly within the Indonesian legislature. Kawendra Lukistian, a member of Commission VI of the House of Representatives, demanded that the government revoke Green SM’s operating permit.
Identifying the taxi as “the initial cause of the chain of consecutive accidents,” he explained, “After observing the details at the scene, I paid special attention to the role of the Green SM blue taxi as the initial cause. This was not just an isolated incident. The vehicle stopped multiple times at the railway crossing, and there have also been many public complaints related to this taxi.”
Ahmad Sahroni, deputy chairman of Commission III, reinforced this stance by citing records that labeled Green SM a “reckless” taxi fleet. He pointed out that the company had “previously caused a train accident in the Sawah Besar area of central Jakarta in December 2025,” adding that local residents had repeatedly reported the company’s “reckless” behavior.
By May 1, Indonesian media reported that authorities were actively considering the revocation of Green SM’s operating license.
Industry Precedents for Crisis Management
In 2018, DiDi Chuxing—China’s largest ride-hailing company—experienced a severe crisis when two drivers on its Hitch carpooling platform murdered passengers within a span of just a few months.
Unlike Green SM’s current approach, DiDi Chuxing founder Cheng Wei and President Jean Liu publicly acknowledged their responsibility and apologized. Furthermore, rather than waiting for public pressure or government mandates, the company preemptively suspended its Hitch service nationwide.
Automobile manufacturers also have a history of publicly accepting responsibility for catastrophic technical failures. A prominent example is the renowned Japanese automaker Toyota.
Between late 2009 and early 2010, Toyota initiated a massive recall of approximately 8 million vehicles in the US and more than 10 million worldwide. Fatal accidents linked to defective accelerator pedals and floor mats that trapped the pedals triggered this drastic action.
Addressing the crisis head-on, Chairman Akio Toyoda appeared before the US House of Representatives to accept “full responsibility” and offer his “deepest apologies” for the accidents. The company paid $48.8 million in civil penalties and resolved claims for economic losses stemming from the safety defects with settlements exceeding $1.6 billion.
Thiên Lương wrote this article in Vietnamese and published it in Luật Khoa Magazine on May 6, 2026. Đàm Vĩnh Hằng translated it into English for The Vietnamese Magazine.
