Indonesia’s government warned operators of taxi-hailing services it will more tightly enforce new regulations after a majority of the cars registered were found to have not passed roadworthy tests.

The government recently pushed through new regulations for car-hailing apps such as Uber, Grab and Go-Car, which requires vehicles to have road tests, drivers to obtain special public transport licences and to also operate under a cooperative or company. Under Indonesian traffic law it is illegal for an individual to provide public transport services, the Jakarta Globe said.

Just 419 of 3,309 registered cars by car-hailing companies passed the test by 31 May. Just 8 per cent of Uber’s 2,665 registered cars passed, while 25 per cent of Go-Car’s 76 cars did and 34 per cent of Grab’s 586 cars cleared.

Transport Minister Ignasius Jonan said that police and transport agencies will patrol the roads to control the car-hailing services.

The Globe quoted him as saying: “If we find three cars from the same company are operating without completing all the requirements, we would freeze that company’s public transport license.”

The government would then coordinate with the Telecommunication and Information Technology Ministry to block the company’s app over the internet.

Car-hailing services have proved to be extremely popular, not just in Indonesia but around the world, as they often provide people with a more convenient, cheaper and safer alternative to incumbent taxi operators.

All three major operators – Uber, Grab and Go-Car – have set up cooperations or companies in Indonesia for their drivers to operate under.