Tuesday, August 8, 2023
The Bali Tourism Board has updated its recommendations for how to move around the island. This is significant news since there has long been controversy surrounding the usage of ride-hailing services by visitors to Bali. The Bali Tourism Board provided their top advice for getting about the island in an infographic.
Travel within Bali is quite simple, but as there isn’t much in the way of public transit infrastructure, visitors do need to be diligent about planning their own transportation.Although there are public buses in Bali, they rarely travel directly to tourist areas and instead frequently travel between locations that best serve the local population.
Bali’s public transit problem is becoming a prominent topic. Wayan Koster, the governor of Bali, recently announced a new collaboration with the Department of Transportation in Jakarta for the establishment of a new MTR and LRT rail system inside Denpasar City and connecting Bali Airport and important tourist areas like Seminyak and Sanur. Bali’s governor, Koster, claims that Jakarta can teach Bali a lot about managing transportation, and in exchange for the cooperation, Bali’s government will help Jakarta’s capital city build its tourism industry.
The Bali Tourism Board’s endorsement of online ride-hailing applications as a practical mode of transportation for visitors to Bali is the most important aspect of their advise.
There have been disputes over the usage of the services in Bali’s most well-known tourist locations for years between tourists and local communities, local taxi drivers, and online app drivers.
One of the finest ways to get around the island, according to the Bali Tourism Board, is by using motorbike taxi services like Go-Jek and Grab Bike.
They say, “Similar to ride-hailing services, you can use apps like GoJek and GrabBike to book motorbike taxis for short-distance trips. They are affordable and readily available in most areas.”
In June of this year, video of a local taxi driver intimidating a couple from Jakarta who had reserved an internet taxi to transport them to the airport horrified locals and visitors in Bali.
The pair was forced to pay the local driver a ridiculous sum of money before he would let them go. The Bali Transportation Agency underlined that using online taxi services in Indonesia is acceptable following the occurrence.
Wayan Gede Samsi Gunarta, the head of the Bali Transportation Agency, urged collaboration in the transportation industry going forward.
Speaking in June, Gunarta explained, “There is no prohibition for online taxis to operate anywhere [in Bali]”.
“That means if he (local taxi) is official [legally registered], yes, he must work together with online taxis [drivers] to be able to pick up passengers.”
The Bali Tourism Board also advises visitors to take traditional metered taxis instead than renting a private vehicle with a driver.
Tags: Bali Tourism Board, Tourism
Saturday, April 27, 2024
