New Free Shuttle Bus Service Will Be Launched In Bali’s Sanur Tourism Resort

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Bali’s OG tourism resort, Sanur, has undergone a serious transformation over the last fifty years, especially in the last year.

Sanur is about to become one of Asia’s leading medical tourism destinations and is set to welcome tens of thousands more tourists every year. 

To help tackle the inevitable rise in traffic congestion that will be caused by an increasing number of tourists traveling through Sanur, leaders in Bali will be launching a new shuttle bus service around the resort area.

Not only is Sanur one of the most popular tourist resorts in Bali, but its port also acts as the main gateway to Bali’s outlying islands of Nusa Penida, Nusa Ceningan, and Nusa Lembongan; the port also serves routes traveling to the Gili Islands and Lombok.

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The new shuttle service will be operated by electric buses, and in the first phase of the scheme will be served by twenty buses. The electric shuttle bus service will have its own dedicated parking lot and stop zones so that the public transportation system does not interfere with general traffic.

The Mayor of Denpasar, IGN Jaya Negara, told reporters, “The Transportation Service is having a meeting with the Sanur Development Foundation with the stakeholders in Sanur so that we are not mistaken.”

He and his teams need to gain approval from the local community before the project can go ahead. This will be achieved through a series of stakeholder meetings, to ensure that everyone is on the same page about how, where, and why the free electric bus shuttle scheme will work. 

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Mayor Jaya Negara is hopeful that the free electric shuttle bus service in Sanur can help both tourists and local communities. Since the service is free to use, he is expecting a positive response from the general public and strong community buy-in.

With the Trans Metro Dewata public bus service still suspended due to lack of government funding, Mayor Jaya Negara is hopeful that the electric shuttle service in Sanur will help alleviate some of the transportation issues created by the pausing of the Trans Metro Dewata service, which used to travel throughout the Denpasar City area.

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The Mayor explained that in the long run, the Trans Metro Dewata will be up and running again and the free Sanur shuttle service will act as a support or ‘feeder’ public transportation service into the larger network.

He shared, “We are optimistic and confident that this shuttle will be different from the Trans Metro Dewata Bus. Trans Metro Dewata does not have a feeder, but if this shuttle goes down everywhere, it will be [in operation] every ten minutes.”

Speaking separately the Head of the Denpasar Transportation Office, Ketut Sriawan, explained that the first route will operate from Mertasari to Segara Ayu, and in the second phase of development a service reaching Sanur Port will be launched. 

Sriawan told reporters “The Mayor of Denpasar has committed to reduce traffic congestion in Sanur with shuttles while caring for the environment by implementing low carbon emission vehicles, namely electric vehicles as a support for the Sanur Tourism Area for the Low Emission Zone.

As Bali beach resorts go, Sanur is considered to be more walkable than most. There is a safe pedestrian Beachwalk area that runs from Mertasari Beach all the way through to Sanur Port.

The beachfront walkway is a popular spot for tourists to enjoy their early morning vacation run and is ideal for young families who are traveling with buddies and prams.

While the coastline at Sanur is easily walkable, traveling on foot throughout the greater Sanur area does require more precaution, especially in high-traffic areas.

This is just one reason why the Sanur shuttle service will be in high demand, not only will the service cut down long walks for tourists on hot sunny days, but also provide a safer and free way for tourists to travel throughout the resort area as a whole.