How Safe are Bali Taxis, Private Drivers, Gojeks, Motorbikes, and Tour Guides?

posted on: September 20, 2019

This last week was full of mixed feelings about transportation, taxis, drivers, tour operators, and motorbiking in Bali, so this may be the most detailed and in-depth review of transportation options in Bali that you ever find.  My pains are your gains.

THE GOOD: I learned how to ride a motorbike in Bali and even crossed the Canggu Shortcut twice without being run off the road or ending up in a rice field!

THE BAD: I needed to deal with several situations in which tourists are often taken advantage of and tour operators are creating greater inequity and difficulty for the Balinese people.

Overall, I survived and lived to tell the tale.  So, let's dive into the different transportation options and how to make the most of them while avoiding the pitfalls, shall we?  This is long, so here's how it's organized:

1. RIDING GOJEK IN BALI
2. RIDING BLUEBIRD TAXIS IN BALI
3. HIRING A PRIVATE DRIVER IN BALI
4. RENTING A MOTORBIKE IN BALI
5. BOOKING A GUIDED TOUR



1. RIDING GOJEK IN BALI

WHEN TO USE GOJEK
For short local casual destinations between restaurants, beaches, sites, and bars that can't be accomplished by walking.

WHEN NOT TO USE GOJEK
At a resort property that won't allow it, or for a full day tour where you have an itinerary of multiple stops to accomplish.

Gojek is considered the local form of Uber, and can be used as a sort of baseline for what you might pay for a ride somewhere in Bali.  You can request to ride on the back of a motorbike for cheap, ride in a car for more, or a larger vehicle for even more.  Gojek prices can vary widely based on location, competition, and availability of drivers (or at least I think that's what it might be based on).

For some reason, the resorts really dislike it when their guests use Gojek, and may require you to leave the property to catch your ride if you do plan to use Gojek.  However, the resorts are happy to call a BlueBird Taxi for you, often at a set rate based on your destination rather than a metered rate.  This rate is often higher than what you'd pay with Gojek.  Perhaps they considered the licensing or security to be better for their guests, but I stepped into a BlueBird that felt sketchier than some Gojek cars, so I don't know what the fuss is actually about.

The nice thing about Gojek, is that you know what rate you're going to get in advance of confirming your order.  The unfortunate thing about Gojek is that a driver doesn't actually have to come and get you and there's no real way to know how long it will actually take them to arrive.  You could place an order, it could be accepted, and they may not come.  Most will kindly communicate if they can't pick you up, but some may leave you hanging for quite a while before you know what's going on.  Maybe they got stuck in traffic, maybe you're too far away, maybe you're in a location where they will be fined if they pick you up.  There seem to be a lot of reasons this might happen.  If you're paying in cash, it's just a lot of wasted time, but if you're trying to get somewhere on time, you have to plan for the unpredictable nature of their arrival time.

In general, it seems that Gojek provides a fair deal for the drivers who use the system, as once they commit to picking you up, they follow through on their promise.  However, you will often be asked all of these other questions at some point while riding in a Gojek car:

1. Where are you from?  This lets them know if you're a visitor or not.

2. How long are you in Bali?  This lets them know if you're a candidate for needing a driver again.

3. Have you been to Ubud / Uluwatu / Rice Terrace?  This lets them know if you've done a popular tour route already or plan to do one soon.

4. If you would like to take a tour, please text me on WhatsApp.  They will make more money taking you around as a private driver than they will driving for anyone else.

5. Would you like to try some Luwak Coffee? They get kickbacks or free gas if they bring you to a Luwak coffee place.  At first this seems generous, but after multiple drivers ask, it's annoying.

None of these questions or situations about riding with Gojek actually bother me.  They are trying to upsell their services and as long as I'm getting to my destination, this is all fine with me.  I also learned to use these questions and the time we were riding together to evaluate their understanding of English and the comfort of the vehicle, just in case I really did want a private driver for an entire day, which would definitely be cheaper and faster than multiple gojek rides from place to place.  So, to that, I say Gojek is generally a good experience for the driver and the passenger.

2. RIDING BLUEBIRD TAXIS IN BALI

WHEN TO USE BLUEBIRD TAXIS
When you have to get picked up from a resort or club that won't allow Gojek drivers to enter, or you're in a rush and are willing to negotiate with a driver you find on the street.

WHEN NOT TO USE BLUEBIRD TAXIS
For pretty much any other reason.

You can generally hail a BlueBird Taxi on the street when they have a light on or from a Hotel or Resort.  There may be some sort of kickback system between resorts and taxis that encourages taxi drivers to serve the resorts and encourages resorts to only work with BlueBird Taxi drivers or their own private shuttles, but I did not confirm this while I was riding in any of the taxis or at any of the resorts.

However, I did notice that riding in a BlueBird Taxi was almost always more expensive than riding in a Gojek.  I also never had a BlueBird Taxi actually run a meter, so everything needs to be negotiated in advance.  Granted, when you realize that difference may only be $3 USD between a Gojek and a BlueBird Taxi, it may not be that bad, but when it appears to be twice the rate in IDR, it does seem a bit like extortion and forcing tourists to pay more.  However, it is often more reliable to have a Taxi come and pick you up at a resort, than asking a Gojek to come into a resort area that they may not be allowed into.  The government and/or resorts must be making more on Taxis, but since no Taxi drivers actually ran their meters, I don't know how good the accountability actually is.

Example Trip: From a Berwa Beach Club it's normally a 20k IDR Gojek ride to Canggu right up the street, but more like 50-100k in a taxi who won't run the meter, but just gives you flat rate.

Example Trip: From a Seminyak Resort it's normally a 40k IDR Gojek ride to Canggu, but more like an 80-120k ride in a taxi operating on a flat rate.

BEWARE: HAILING A TAXI ON THE ROAD IN BALI

This was where I would exercise the most caution, and encourage you to have a local establishment hire a taxi for you.  The two times I tried to hire a taxi from the side of the road were the two shadiest drivers I encountered.  Both wanted a minimum of 100k to go anywhere, even if a normal flat rate from a hotel or resort would have been less.

Example Trip: The first one wanted me to get in and said he'd tell me the fee at the end.  Well, I took one look at his broken meter and knew that was not going to fly, so I told him to tell me the fee up front or I would just wait for another taxi to come by.  His fee was 100k.  At that point I had to weigh how much my time was worth to wait longer for another taxi or a gojek that might not come.

Example Trip: A beach club was charging 200k for taxis and shuttles to go up the street and I didn't want to shell out another entire dinner cost to play their extortion games, so I went off site and tried to hail a gojek, but none of the gojeks would come to the location because of the beach club.  So then I started negotiating with taxi drivers who were just waiting like vultures near the beach club.  They wouldn't take less than 100k for a trip that was usually under 50k, but it was still cheaper than what the beach club was asking for taxis.  So, there was a lot of haggling involved in advance, but it still came down to finding a fee that they were going to accept, which was 100k.

Once you know how they play the game, you can be ahead of the game and determine if it's worth your time and money.  It's better to know than to be caught blindsided by the games.

3. HIRING A PRIVATE DRIVER IN BALI

WHEN TO USE A PRIVATE DRIVER
When you have a 4-10 hour itinerary of multiple stops that you'd like to accomplish around Bali, or you have a location destination away from the urban area that doesn't generally have taxi or gojek service and you need a driver to wait for you.

WHEN NOT TO USE A PRIVATE DRIVER

When you just have one destination to get to and back from (unless it's a destination that's far outside the urban area and requires your driver to wait for you.)

Most drivers you encounter in Bali, whether it be from the airport, with Gojek, or with a tour company, will at some point offer to be your personal driver.  As I mentioned above in the Gojek description, as soon as they mention this or offer their services beyond your initial ride, take stock of their language skills in your native language as well as the comfort of their vehicle and driving habits in order to decide if you'd like to ride with them again.  These things will make a big difference in how your day goes, especially if you're asking them to go somewhere that you haven't planned in advance.

RATES
I found that most drivers considered 400k IDR acceptable for a half-day rate that took 4-5 hours and 800k IDR acceptable for a full day rate that took 10-12 hours.  Based on other discussions I had, this is likely more than they will make driving for Gojek or working for a tour operator, and it means your money is going directly to the person who is serving you and their family's livelihood.  Some drivers may offer to do a full day for 500k, but they may be planning for that day to only be 6 hours.  Hiring a private driver directly is often half the rate of hiring a driver through TripAdvisor.  If you don't have the number of a private driver you like, your hotel or host in Bali will generally supply you with one.

COMMUNICATION
In order to make the most of a private driver, you will likely need to download WhatsApp and plan to communicate via text that way.  It allows you to receive messages over Wifi or your roaming signal and locals to send text messages to you without international fees.  This also allows the driver to more easily translate anything needed in case they don't understand the exact words you're using.

ITINERARY PLANNING
I would highly recommend planning your individual trip itinerary in advance, sending it to the driver and getting the quote based on your itinerary.  If you're going based on Apple Maps or Google Maps for driving times, double all the driving times mentioned.  It will always take longer than the maps suggest.  You can find good itineraries based on tours already listed online, or based on traveler blog posts like the last two I shared:
North Bali Full Day Tour
Ubud Traditional Village Full Day Tour

EXTRA FEES
Some drivers may take care of parking fees for you, and some may ask you to take care of parking fees- these are usually negligible amounts and are worth paying for in order for the driver not to keep wasting gas.  All of the drivers we rode with took care of gas as part of their fee.  Tipping isn't expected but it also isn't turned away since you did negotiate a fair fee up front.  It will be appreciated if you added extra stops along the way or had the driver for an extra long day.



4. RENTING A MOTORBIKE IN BALI

WHEN TO RENT A MOTORBIKE IN BALI
After you've had some time to acclimate to the roads and sidewalks by foot or by car and you plan to use a motorbike to have a little more freedom than you have relying on taxis and gojeks for short rides around your area.

WHEN NOT TO RENT A MOTORBIKE IN BALI
I would not plan to use a motorbike for a long trip in Bali or if you plan to spend any more than an hour on the road each day, the hassles that come with motorbiking in Bali are better for shorter local trips.

WHERE TO FIND MOTORBIKES
If you're up for everything above as part of the journey, you'll find motorbike rentals in a lot of tourist areas.  Little side-of-the-road shops, some with nice motorbikes, some with really used motorbikes.    Most can be found for about 50k IDR per day.  If you only plan to take one trip per day, weigh the hassles and cost against just getting a couple gojek rides each day.  Some motorbike shops will have a minimum number of days for the rental, some will have discounts for longer rentals.  They usually give it to you with whatever gas level is in it and expect you to return it the same way.  They also usually do not offer insurance and you are liable for whatever happens.  Most travel insurance companies don't cover motorbike rentals either.  So the risk is entirely on you.

INTERNATIONAL DRIVERS LICENSE REQUIRED
Do you have an international driver's license?  If not, you may be stopped and fined or asked to appear in court if you are caught riding without an International Drivers License.  There are reports of police offers extorting tourists for 50k-100k per incident in order to not go through the court process, so this is the potential hazard of not having an International Driver's License.

HELMET REQUIRED
This is also another reason you can be ticketed or fined in Bali, and since helmets are free, it really seems ridiculously to take the chance and not wear one.

KNOW YOUR LOCAL AREA BY FOOT & CAR FIRST
I'd recommend you get to know your own local area on foot and by car before renting a motorbike, so you're aware of the traffic habits and hazards of the area that you'll be entering and leaving each day you have a motorbike rental.  I knew very well what destinations I would head to on the bike, what the road conditions were like, and how much traffic there was based on various car rides before I ever got on a motorbike.  This helped me know what roads were going to be potentially difficult and which ones were going to make my life on the motorbike easier.

DRIVING HABITS
I would actually encourage you to do some research and read several different blog posts about riding a motorbike in Bali.  Watching what locals do in traffic is not always a good indication of how you should manage the situation depending on your comfort level with the bike.  Local Balinese will often take risks that tourists will fail epically trying to take for themselves.  While the general rule is to "follow like fishes," there are some intersections where this will get you into difficult situations.  Be far more cautious than locals.  Pull over and stop when you feel out of control or unsure.  It is far better to stop in a safe place, than to keep going down a bad path or in a bad direction.  People will move around you more easily when you're stopped safely, than when you've had an accident.

PRACTICE ON EASY ROADS
If you're like me and haven't ridden a motorbike in 10+ years, than definitely put in a lot of practice on some easy roads with little traffic before navigating roads with a lot of traffic.  Stopping, restarting, slowing down, taking turns, driving on the opposite side of the road... it's a lot to work through and best to work through it with some laps around some easy blocks than putting yourself right in the thick of stressful situations.



5. BOOKING A GUIDED TOUR

I had one great experience and one not so great experience with guided tours in Bali.  I'll just tell you what to look out for in order to help you identify the good and the bad, and how to advocate for yourself if you feel like you're in a situation where things aren't going as planned.

TRIPADVISOR BOOKING
Unfortunately, both the good tour operator and the bad tour operator had great reviews from over 30 people on TripAdvisor.  So, I can't say that I could have avoided booking the wrong Tour Operator, because they both appeared to have legit ratings from enough people.  However, there was one key difference written into the descriptions that later came back to bite me.  The good tour operator included all of the admission fees, parking fees, and lunch.  The bad tour operator included no fees and no meals.  The price appeared to be the appropriate price based on all fees included versus no fees included, however, this would turn out to be very different once the tour was actually underway.  What appeared to be a 400k IDR savings online between operators, ended up being an additional 900k IDR expense while touring.  So if you can book an all-inclusive tour, choose that over one that requires additional unknown fees ahead.  The good thing about using TripAdvisor is being able to leave a public review of the company and how they operate at the end of the day when it is a verified purchase.  If you're going to hire a tour operator, I do think it's good to go with booking through an online site that has public reviews, and to do a lot of research in advance to comb those reviews for information that will make a difference in your tour.

STICKING TO THE ITINERARY
A good tour operator will provide you with a very detailed itinerary of locations, and you will be able to check off each stop along the tour as you go.  This is how you know that you're on the right itinerary and the driver isn't taking liberties with taking you to places that aren't on your itinerary that might be beneficial to the driver even if they aren't beneficial to you.

The bad tour operator took liberties with the locations and the schedule.  If you notice that your driver is not sticking to the itinerary- say something right away- and make sure that they have your full itinerary information as it was provided to you.

TOUR GUIDE VS. DRIVER
The good tour operator provided me with an actual tour guide who spoke my language as requested and was familiar with each location and how much time we might spend there.  The tour guide knew what photos to take and what parts of each location were special and important to see so that even if we had limited time, we didn't miss the best parts of the location.  The tour guide went into locations with us and helped us navigate areas so that we weren't ever lost in the crowd or missing important things.

The bad tour operator did not provide a guide, but rather a driver with very limited language skills based on what I requested who simply dumped me off at each location and never toured a location with me even though I was traveling solo.  The driver had never been inside several of the sites I went to, which also meant that they didn't know what each experience was going to be like for me or how much time I would want to spend based on what was important inside the venue.  The bad tour operator took the price of offering me a tour guide, and gave me someone who was just a driver that I could have hired myself for even more than the tour operator paid the driver.

WHERE TO EAT WHILE TOURING
Average lunch prices in Bali, even for an expensive tourist all-you-can-eat buffet, are usually under 150k IDR per person.  The good tour operator included all admission fees in the tour price, all parking fees, as well as the cost for lunch all in the price we paid up front.

The bad tour operator included no admission fees, said they included parking fees but then the driver asked me to pay for parking, and then took me to a lunch place that charged 2Mil for a set menu lunch, which is 10x more than all other lunch places.  Luckily, I already knew this was a terrible deal, and told the driver it was unacceptable, and insisted we go elsewhere for a more reasonable lunch.  The driver likely would get a kickback from that location, which would be the incentive for taking me to a place with no other options that were more affordable.

WHEN TO WALK AWAY
The good tour operator still took me to some places that I knew were designed to be tourist shopping traps, but they were listed as part of the itinerary, and I was free to walk around without buying anything.

The bad tour operator took me to locations where the only options were to pay to play- no browsing, no relaxing, only pay to do one of several different activities or options.  I should have just walked out of those situations, not paid for anything, and got back in the car.  However, it was my first time confronting a situation like that, so I didn't quite know how to take control of the situation.  It's also a bad sign if the tour operator brings you into a sales session at a watersports area or beach before you've ever seen the actual beach you'll be on, the equipment you'll be using, or the boats that you'll be riding in.  If a tour operator puts you in a situation where you need to choose to pay for an option before seeing the conditions of what you'll be using and doing, that's a pretty good sign to walk away.

LEAVE A DETAILED REVIEW
The only way tour operators improve the client experience is when clients leave detailed reviews.  Please, please, please leave a detailed review for your fellow travelers so they can avoid mishaps and untrustworthy tour operators along the way.

*FACING BALI INEQUITIES*

Having a 30 day stay in Bali reveals many more local issues than a week-long stay.  After being there for an extended time, it feels like Bali is reaching a point of becoming unsustainable for itself.  I can feel the level of tension and anxiety this creates in the air for locals as they deal with the added stresses of inequity.  Each visitor is looked at like a piggy bank waiting to be emptied, which also ends up putting visitors in uncomfortable situations.  Gojek drivers seem to face fines and repercussions that Taxis drivers don't seem to face, and so corruption becomes normal behavior.

I'm concerned that the farms and rice fields, which once had enough to export, are now dwindling to an ownership level of only supplying enough for the people who live on the island and perhaps not even enough to feed the resorts that may be importing from elsewhere.  If the youth of Bali can make more in the hospitality industry, where will their food come from with fewer farmers?  Areas where fisherman used to work are being swallowed up by beach resorts with demands on the beachfront and watersport activities that damage sealife.  Local Balinese wages are held to such a low standard such that they are not able to be a patron in many of the cafes or restaurants that they work in.

All of this gives me deeply conflicting feelings about staying in Bali in a way that contributes to these inequities.  There are a lot of expats making money off of other international tourists, but on the backs of local laborers who don't get to enjoy the same wages or standard of living.  These issues were noticeable in restaurants where the only local people to be found were the people working, but not the people eating or drinking.  These issues were also confronted often when dealing with drivers, tour operators, and various forms of transportation.

So, I leave Bali with conflicting feelings.  There were beautiful moments in which the land and the people spoke to me from the heart with kindness and generosity, as well as moments in which the existing inequities became personal and exploitative.  Despite the undesirable moments, I still have compassion for the stress that locals experience which cause these issues in the first place.

I may return to Bali, and if I do, I will do my best to be more conscious of who I am supporting with the foreign financial advantage I bring into the country.  I will seek local businesses to support and sustain.  I will seek local guides and operators who treat their employees well so that more Balinese can live a similar lifestyle to the one that they are providing for visitors.  I don't know that I will get it right, but I will do my best, and I hope that the local leaders in Bali do their best to address the building inequity and increasing sustainability issues as well.

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