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What Do Changes To Bali Taxi Operation Policies Mean For Tourists?

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Bali will be introducing a series of new policies that will help protect local taxi driver’s livelihoods. There will also be more strict enforcement of existing legislation.

These updates will also have a knock-on effect on tourists and the public, hopefully for the better. 

Grab Motorcyle Helmet.jpg

Online taxi companies Grab and GoJek have agreed with the Bali Provincial Government plans to strengthen and update regulations on what is referred to as special rental transportation (SAK).

The need for change has been made apparent after members of the Bali Tourism Driver Struggle Forum (FPDP) marched to the Regional People’s Representative Council of Bali (Bali DPRD), the office of the provincial government, to make six very specific demands on the 5th January 2025.

The Bali Tourism Driver Struggle Forum wanted to see the Bali Provincial Government put a quota on the number of online taxi service providers allowed to be registered in the province, and this goes for motorcycle and car taxis.

They were also calling on the government to operate stricter regulations when it comes to vehicle rentals for tourists, for both motorcycles and cars. The third demand called on the government to oversee the creation of a standard set of rates for taxis across the province.

The fourth was to restrict taxi companies, specifically online taxi companies, enabling them to hire or take on freelance drivers with Balinese ID cards only. The fifth demand called for all tourist transportation vehicles to have local Bali Province license plates.

The sixth and final demand was to create a set of standardized skills criteria for tourist drivers coming to Bali from outside the province. 

The Bali Tourism Driver Struggle Forum was concerned that not only were drivers from outside of the province moving to Bali to drive as freelance taxi drivers for these online taxi companies and ‘stealing’ the work of local drivers but that, increasingly, these drivers from other places in Indonesia were potentially breaking local laws and risking the reputation of Bali as a tourist destination.

Oftentimes, online taxi drivers are also seen to be undercutting local taxi drivers since the companies centralise the rates applied by apps like Grab and GoJek. 

The Director of Grab for East Indonesia, Halim Wijaya, told reporters this week “We support the local government’s policy aimed at improving the welfare of the Balinese people, we are also ready to collaborate in creating a more inclusive online transportation ecosystem that suits local needs.”

Since the end of 2024, Bali-based taxi drivers have been raising complaints against online taxi drivers who they say they have observed operating with license plates from outside of the province, contributing to traffic jams due to ‘careless’ pick up and drop off practices, sleep overnight in parking lots, and have been picking up and dropping off passengers in ‘restricted areas’ where local taxi drivers have exclusive jurisdiction. 

Wijaya told reporters that Grab Indonesia will now be making it the case that drivers who wish to register as partners, aka Grab freelance drivers, will have to be Bali residents. It has always been the case that Grab drivers must show valid documents like a KTP, SIM, SKCK, and STNK before they are allowed to drive for the app.

Bali-Taxi-Driver-Holds-Taxi-Sign-In-Ubud

Wijaya shared, “To be able to register as a prospective partner in Bali, you must have a Balinese ID card or attach a Balinese domicile certificate and use a vehicle with a DK vehicle number plate.” All vehicles registered in Bali have a DK number plate, standing for Kota Denpasar. 

Black-Taxi-Car-Local-Taxi-Drivers-Bali

GoJek has issued similar statements, reiterating their support for local communities in Bali. It should be noted that both Grab and GoJek are used as a means of earning income by thousands of Balinese residents already. 

Grab-And-GoJek-Moped-Drivers

For tourists visiting Bali in both the short and long term, these changes won’t make too much of a difference. However, what these changes will hopefully achieve is a reduction in the tensions between local drivers and online drivers, tensions of which tourists have often been unwittingly caught in the middle. 

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Andrew

Wednesday 12th of February 2025

the only people who have ever robbed me in Bali are taxi drivers...

Bob

Monday 10th of February 2025

Same old scam. Instead of improving their service and driver quality, they complain about companies that operate a system which protects riders from scams and overcharging.

If the Bali government really want to fix taxi services, they'd crack down on scam drivers who exploit tourists who have little local knowledge. I've had death threats from one such driver because I stopped him overcharging and scamming a poor tourist couple who were looking for transport.

The police were nearby and just allow these scammers to continue to operate.

Noel

Saturday 8th of February 2025

As long as the rates are competitive, then do what is best. But I have seen first hand where the taxi drivers try to charge 300,000 for a fare that is only 70,000 - 80,000 on Grab. The taxi drivers have been ripping tourists off for years and now they've been found out

Myriam

Friday 7th of February 2025

Grab and GoJek are excellent platforms in Bali and Indonesia in general. If Bluebird and other independent cab drivers simply used their meter, many tourists would have no problem getting a ride with them. But the reason they dropped out of the market is the fact that they ask 2 to 3 times the regular rate while tourists are unable or unwilling to haggle with them. Nothing beats knowing the price of your ride in advance. And last but not least: during covid, many took to driving a cab. Nobody asks the hard question here: how many cabs can actually make a decent living in a saturated market? Maybe start regulating the number of cabs per area and set tests to select only the best drivers because there are some bad drivers out there that can destroy the reputation of the destination and certainly potentially ruin tourists experience. Some do not even speak English or read a map, a minimum requirement in my opinion, if you want to work in the tourism industry. However, we also encounter a similar situation all around Asia.

Roman

Wednesday 5th of February 2025

I had a horrible experience with the taxi mafia at Sanur Harbour. The taxi mafia runs the place. They tried to charge 300% more than the regular price. When my wife pointed out that these were mafia prices, suddenly there we ten of them surrounding us. And they were angry. One of them laid a hand on my wife who was holding our 14 month son at the time. It got intense fast and I'm surprised we got out of their in one piece.

Thank you to the powers that be for protecting these pieces of shit.

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