Bali can get a bit exhausting when you are getting hounded by drivers. It can be a culture shock when you exit the airport arrival gates and taxi drivers are right on top of you in the blink of an eye, waving at you and calling you out relentlessly. So here’s advice and personal stories when it comes to getting around, scams, I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, and dealing with the taxi mafia–this is what I’ve seen someone else calling them, I’ve also seen the term taxi syndicates, I am unsure if there’s a proper name.
My first time in Bali, I was constantly being asked if I needed a ride, scooter drivers pulling up beside me and getting honked at by cars that would keep honking until I looked at them and shook my head. I would get followed down the street on foot and called, even after I said no multiple times. Some even started to sound genuinely frustrated with you, even if you never gave a hint of interest, certain areas moreso (I’m looking at you Sanur port).
I didn’t realize how tiring it was until I left Indonesia. I was a social recluse afterwards, my battery completely drained. After my first experience, my second trip went so much smoother, because I was mentally prepared and more confident in my actions.
My second time around, this is speculation, but I swear, I changed my approach a little bit and it did wonders. When asked if I needed a ride, instead of just saying ‘no thank you’ and trying to squeeze away or try to not acknowledge, only for them to disregard, follow, and say ‘but where are you going?’. I was giving eye contact, a big smile, and would say, ‘I don’t need a ride. Thank you for asking, though!’. I swear, drivers backed off so much quicker with the added niceties, it sounds simple, but it can be taxiing (haha) after a while. Obviously, this isn’t full proof, and you judge the situation and environment to your response.
I imagine this will sound a little overwhelming, but this is just a piece of the puzzle in your vacation, and you’ll be amazed at how you can fall into the rhythm of things, or learn from your failures. Bali is a beautiful place and traveled by so many demographics; families, groups, solo travelers. There’s so much to see and do, there are loads of tours and friendly faces everywhere, travelers and locals alike. There is so much culture to immerse yourself in, and interesting roads and markets. For the most part, I just felt uncomfortable at times with the forcefulness of shop workers and drivers, but once you realize this is their livelihood, they have loads of competition, and they’re literally doing it to everyone, it will ease your mind. It eased mine, at least.
Getting Around
Renting your own scooter is a very popular and desirable way to get around, but in all honesty, if you want advice on driving a scooter in Bali, this is not the page for you, because as of this moment I have not driven one. I personally was intimidated by the crowded roads and general lack of organization–it’s amazing to watch the weaving of scooters and piles of cars trying to merge through an intersection that has no light. There aren’t many accidents in this organized chaos, the only accident I saw was when a pick up truck was carrying way too much weight up a hill, his materials up-ended into the street and caused a major traffic jam.
Collision accidents certainly happen, and tourists are oftentimes in the mix. I’m convinced I would be one of those people if I tried learning in Bali. Maybe if I spent more time in Nusa Penida or another island I would have had the courage to learn there and then drive in Bali. On top of that, there are so many scooter shortcuts throughout the cities, I would be so confused on my own. While I was with drivers, I had to quickly let go of the thought that I was being taken into a dark alley, though that didn’t stop a little sigh of relief when evidentally another person on a scooter zipped by. All of this is my long way of telling you that scooters are a popular option, but to find other sources to learn more on if it’s the right fit for you.
This is also why I have a decent amount of stories in regards to finding a ride and catching scams, and I will share that with you.
First, the best route if you are in need of a ride in Bali is to go through the Grab and Gojek apps. These apps are comparable to Uber and Lift for certain countries in Asia, you can order a ride with all costs upfront before you commit. You are also able to select the option to pay with a card through the app or with cash once your ride is finished. The flexibility was something I found extremely helpful, as there were times I was short on cash and another when someone else booked a ride for me on their app and I had the cash to pay the fare.
Another app that is helpful to download is the Bluebird app, it is a taxi service app with reputed taxi drivers, they have working meters in their cars and you can see their logo displayed. I personally haven’t used them, but I have heard good things. In my post Snaffu in Canggu: The Time I Cried in Bali I talk about a whole mess of trying to get to the airport, and during that time, a local asked me if I had the app, the unfortunate answer was no. I do want to warn you that I had read that some taxi drivers have a fake Bluebird logo on their car, so keep that in mind.
You can obviously work something out with a taxi driver outside of Bluebird, but it’s my least favorite way to go about getting a ride. It sounds easy, why wouldn’t you just grab a taxi if they are already there and willing to take you wherever you want to go? A big reason is their inflated prices, they charge so much more than the apps talked about above, and many of them don’t use meters. Most often you need to pay them cash in hand, and you’d be surprised how quickly 1,000,000IRD can disappear, especially if you’re constantly being overcharged everywhere you go. If you desperately need a ride, though, this option is available.
Grab and Gojek Scams
Yes, some of the Grab and Gojek drivers scam. Majority of the time, the rides are very smooth and done without any problems, but these are some of the situations I faced.
In a funny turn of events, I had an experience where I booked a Grab after an event finished so it was extremely busy, and while I was waiting, a different Grab driver was trying to convince me to ride with them outside of the app for x5 the price. He hung around, and when I could see on the map that my driver arrived, but I couldn’t find them–turns out they were driving a different scooter to the one listed in the app–I was helped in finding my guy by the guy who tried to scam me and a couple other kind locals.
A couple of times while booking a ride I received a message immediately asking me to agree for a larger price under the table. They would say that they were taking me out of the way and how it would be difficult to book someone to get back, and when I disagreed to the asking price they would subsequently ask me to cancel the ride. In both cases where this happened to me, I was going to popular destinations that were out of town, but not far away. When you cancel a ride one of the generated response buttons is ‘driver asked to cancel’ so it is a common enough occurrence.
On my first full day in Bali, a friend I met at the hostel and I planned to meet at a rice terrace. He arrived before me and when I got there, he asked me if my driver said anything about having trouble getting a ride back to our accommodation. When I didn’t, he told me that his driver said he would get stranded with no ride, but offered to stay and wait outside for him for a (large) fee, he had agreed. Upon finding out I made no such deal with my driver, he went out and paid him half of the discussed amount and told him he could go. We ended up having no trouble getting rides back later. With that said, if you really are going somewhere out of the way or less touristy, you should look into it.
Lastly, people posing as Grab or Gojek drivers, this is something that I found wasn’t too difficult to navigate. They can do this by wearing the company apparel and/or tell you they’re a driver by trying to quickly show you that they have the app. They might open it and gesture at it, without really letting you see much, such as the lack of a driver profile, and they insinuate, ‘see I have the app, therefore I am a driver’. Go with the riders you actually book with the app, they will show you their phone and you will see your name and confirm they’re your ride.
The Bali Airport (and more scams)
Overall, getting a Grab or having a ride prearranged are the best ways to go about getting out of the airport. Having a prearranged ride I imagine is less painful than trying to get a Grab, but getting a Grab is still easy and probably the overall cheapest option out there. Check and see if your accommodation offers an airport shuttle, sometimes it’s free! Riding with a taxi is an option.
The first time I arrived in Bali I was pulled to the side by a taxi company and talked into booking a ride to where I was staying in Ubud. I can’t remember the price, but the fact that they were able to approach me before I even exited the building tells me I paid a premium. I’m honestly curious as to how much I paid, because I think it would have me scoffing at myself for the rest of the day.
I had no clue what I was doing at the time and they took me to an official kiosk within the airport to give me a quote. I had read about some people pretending to be a reputable taxi driver when they had no credentials, so at the time I was just relieved that I was going through an official system. It ended up being fine, the driver stopped at a coffee tasting plantation which was fun, but also really pressured me into giving him a tip before we were even halfway finished with the drive. He also took us on a route with tolls which I had to pay for on top of the fee to drive out of the airport that I had not been anticipating.
The second time I arrived in Bali, with the knowledge from before and advice from the owner where I booked accommodation, I made my way to the Grab office. It is a short walk outside of the airport entrance, and if you don’t know it exists, the taxi drivers will do everything in their power to not let you get far enough to see it. I mentioned that prearranged was probably less painful, this is because you’re still game for the taxi drivers until you physically get into your car. While I walked to the Grab office I was trailed by two taxi drivers that kept telling me the office was closed, that I’m wasting my time walking there. Turns out they were right, it was closed.
It also turned out that you can still wait next to it and connect with Grab using your app, something you can’t get directly out of the airport because of the taxi mafia. At that time, they were pressuring me, telling me how I was going to wait forever and it’s already 3:30AM. I stood near a couple who had been waiting for a Grab and they kept telling me, this couple has been waiting and they’re still waiting, I don’t have to wait like them! All the while, I connect with a Grab driver, I am going to Kuta in the middle of the night and the price comes out to be 92,000IRD. You would think it would end there, but no.
One of the drivers pulls his phone out and opens his Grab app–this is a very common scam taxis do–he looks up the area I want to go and shows me the charge on his phone, which comes out to be 105,000IRD and he disregards the fact that my original–already booked–price is cheaper. For whatever reason, when this happens to me, the option they get is always more expensive than the one I get. He says that considering the price on his phone, he would be willing to do it for 150,000IRD because the service would be instant, I say I’ll stick with Grab. Once they’ve exhausted themselves of me, they leave. You would think that it would end there, but no.
The whole time these two were talking to me, there was another guy standing over my shoulder and listening to the whole conversation. The moment the taxi drivers are gone he gets in front of me and says that he will drive me for the original price of the Grab that I booked. I didn’t notice this guy was a driver, because he wasn’t wearing any uniform, this is common as some regular joe schmoe’s try to pass as taxi drivers. While I could have potentially gotten a ride from him instantly for the cheap price of a Grab, if anything were to go wrong, if he drove off with my bags still in the trunk, there would be no one to blame but myself. When I tell him no, he starts to beg, tells me that it’s 3:30AM and he’s really tired, he just wants to go home and to help him get home.
They are very convincing and they make you feel unsure or guilty for not helping them, but he eventually too was exhausted of me. You just have to stick to your plan, don’t sway or pretend to consider it if you know you’re not going to take them up on it. Like I mentioned, this is their livelihood, if you are wishy washy, they will not leave you alone and they will not appreciate being strung along. This goes for everywhere, not just the airport.
The Taxi Mafia
Something called the taxi mafia sounds pretty scary, and while you should keep your wits about you when it comes to them, you shouldn’t be too worried. Essentially, there are certain areas in Bali that are controlled by the taxi mafia’s; they are highly dense tourist spots. They allow Grab and Gojek drivers to drop you off, but they don’t allow the drivers back in to pick you up so you feel like you have no choice but to book a grossly overpriced ride with a taxi. These taxis aren’t the official Bluebird taxis, they don’t have working meters and they will discuss the price with you instead. The common theme.
If you know they’re there, they can be pretty easy to navigate and avoid. Sometimes it’s as easy as walking out just past the temple entrance gates and booking your drive from there. That’s what I did when I visited the Uluwatu Temple for the kecak fire dance. Most of the time it isn’t a very far walk to get access to alternative transport, but if you don’t know that you’re in a taxi zone, that’s when the problems arise. Some of the places I’ve been where I now know have a taxi mafia are: The airport, Sanur port, Uluwatu Temple, Tanah Lot Temple, and Single Fin Restaurant.
If there’s a certain area that you’re going to and you’re worried about the presence of the taxi mafia, I would google to see what other travelers have to say. Some might even have information you didn’t think of, like one traveler that had a warning that the meeting point for Grab at one of the beach clubs is up a hill, that they were being offered by taxi drivers 100,000IRD to just drive them to the meet point.
While they dislike you going off to find yourself a Grab (it’s pretty obvious you’re doing it if you bypass the scooter parking and the taxi drivers). What really upsets them is if a Grab comes into their zone to pick you up. As a tourist they’re not really going to do anything to you, but I’ve read that there can be altercations with the Grab driver, and I would know from experience, because a Grab driver picking me up in a zone is how I found out about the red line. I was lucky that I was traveling with the same friend I mentioned earlier, because it was one of the most uncomfortable experiences I had while in Bali. We had gone to Tanah Lot Temple at low tide, then we walked to a cliffside restaurant for the sunset. It was dark and not as crowded when we tried to leave Tanah Lot Temple and it was taking forever to book a Grab or Gojek.
I know now that the drivers dropped us once they saw the pick up location. We thought that there weren’t a lot of drivers in the area and that was the problem. During this time, we were getting leered and jeered at by the taxi drivers and they were hovering a little too close for comfort. We ended up moving away from them and walked into a nearby shop to book our ride, we finally connect with a car and eventually go back outside to wait at the marketfront.
One of the taxi drivers was waiting for us outside of the market and when we confirm someone is picking us up, he looms over us. He would sometimes leave to talk to the others, but he kept coming back and insisted we ride with them. It wasn’t the normal lingering that drivers do, this was clearly agitated and monitoring. At the time I thought he was mad at us, but in retrospect he was mad at our driver for accepting as we clearly would have turned to them eventually, and with the prolonged failed attempts to get an alternative ride, they would have hiked the price up even more. We were a juicy steak in the marinating process.
My friend and I were so relieved when our driver pulled up, but once we got into the car, the taxi driver didn’t let us leave right away. Instead he’s yelling at our driver in balinese and leaning into his window. He eventually steps away and our driver pulls off and kind of laughs to himself. When we asked what in the world was happening, he said that the taxi driver was reminding him that he’s not allowed in that area and he was explaining to the man he didn’t realize. He then informed us that this happens in some places, it wasn’t until I was reading later on that I saw someone call it a taxi mafia.
Conclusion
One piece of advice, don’t get too down or embarrassed if you find that you got scammed or have to take an expensive taxi, roll your shoulders back and continue forward. This is coming from someone who knows they’ve been scammed a time or two, and probably didn’t realize they had been scammed a time or two more. You feel slighted and foolish when you paid more for something than someone else, or you didn’t realize there was another option, or the restaurant didn’t give enough change back for your meal. It doesn’t feel good, and it can add up over time.
I know this doesn’t work with all currencies, but it helps me if I do a conversion in my head of how much money I lost out on, let’s say I went with the 150,000IRD ($9.22USD) at the airport instead of the 92,000IRD ($5.65USD). Am I going to let the difference of $3.57USD be the deal breaker of a good time overall? The answer should be no. Am I going to brush it off and act like it never happened? Also no, because I will learn for the next circumstance.
I hope you found this helpful if you are planning your trip to Bali or find it interesting if you are only curious. Stay safe, always have some cash on you, and have the best time! It’s really an amazing experience, and hopefully this might prepare you for some of the intricacies of transportation!
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