Both Blue Bird and Express already have their own taxi-hailing apps for Android and iOS devices, but face increasing competition from Uber, which offers lower fares and, in most cases, better cars. (JG Photo/ Sheryl Yehovia)

Jakarta. Indonesia’s two biggest taxi operators have taken the unprecedented step of joining forces to push back against what both see as a common threat – the ride-hailing app Uber.

Blue Bird and Express Transindo Utama will work with an as-yet-undisclosed cellular carrier to develop a mobile taxi-hailing app, set for launch in January with a joint fleet of 2,000 cabs, said David Santoso, the Express finance director.

He added that the carrier would fund the development of the app and manage it. “We won’t spend any money on developing this app,” he said.

Both Blue Bird and Express already have their own taxi-hailing apps for Android and iOS devices, but face increasing competition from Uber, which offers lower fares and, in most cases, better cars.

While Blue Bird has managed to weather the disruption posed by Uber’s arrival in the country last year, Express has taken a massive hit, with its profit shrinking by 90 percent through the third quarter of 2015.

Uber has garnered more than 10,000 drivers in Jakarta, Bandung and Bali in just over a year of operations in Indonesia.

Blue Bird’s finance director, Robert R. Rerimasie, said he was optimistic that the collaboration with Express would help both companies boost their performance.

“We don’t know what the final form of the app will be like, but it won’t be like Uber,” he said.