Getting around Bali: public transport, passes and taxis

Bali has no metro and no useful train. Your realistic choices are app cars, metered taxis, private drivers, rented scooters and cars, and a small public bus network. The table below compares them by cost and by what they are actually good for.

Bali's public bus network, Trans Metro Dewata, is a low-cost service centred on Denpasar with routes into the southern tourist belt. Fares are a few thousand rupiah and you pay in cash or with a local card. It is genuinely useful if you are staying near a corridor and want to reach Denpasar, but routes are sparse, buses are slow in traffic, and nothing runs to Ubud, Amed or the north in a way you can plan a day around.

Traditional bemos still run on some local routes, mostly for residents. There is no train on Bali and no ferry you would use for a normal tourist itinerary; the fast boats to Nusa Penida and the Gili Islands are a separate, privately run service.

Treat public transport as a cheap extra, not a plan. If your trip is a week or less, budget for app cars and one or two driver days instead.

Gojek and Grab are the default in most of southern Bali. Fares are set in the app, so you skip negotiation, and both offer car and motorbike options. Availability is good in Kuta, Seminyak, Canggu, Sanur and Denpasar, and thinner in Ubud's outer villages, Amed, Munduk and the east coast.

The catch is local rules. Some villages, temple car parks and market areas have agreements that keep app drivers out, so you may be asked to walk to a main road or to use a local taxi instead. This is common around Ubud centre and some temple gates. It is not a scam, just a local arrangement; walk 200–300 m and try again.

Metered taxis still work well. Blue Bird is the reliable brand; insist on the meter, and if the driver quotes a flat price, either agree it before you get in or wait for another car. At the airport, use the official airport taxi counter rather than touts in the arrivals hall.

A private car with driver is the best value for a full day of sightseeing. A standard day is 8–10 hours, covers a loop such as Ubud and the rice terraces or the southern temples, and costs roughly IDR 600,000–900,000 depending on distance and vehicle. Split between three or four people it beats app cars for anything beyond a short hop, and the driver handles parking, which is the real time-saver.

Scooters are cheap and everywhere, but they are also how most visitors get hurt. You need a valid motorcycle licence and, for most foreign licences, an International Driving Permit; police checks on the main roads are routine. Helmets are compulsory. Check the brakes and tyres before you ride, and never ride after drinking.

Self-drive cars are possible but rarely worth it for a short trip: traffic is heavy, roads narrow, and parking in Ubud and Canggu is painful. If you do rent, an IDP is required for non-Indonesian licences and insurance terms vary a lot.

Bali transport is cheap by US or European standards, but the numbers add up if you take app cars all day. A couple doing three or four short trips a day spends roughly IDR 150,000–300,000. The same couple on a full-day driver day spends IDR 600,000–900,000 but sees far more.

Scooter rental plus fuel is the cheapest option at roughly IDR 70,000–150,000 a day plus about IDR 20,000 of petrol, but only if you are licensed and comfortable. Public buses are the cheapest of all at a few thousand rupiah, and the slowest.

Bring some cash. Apps take cards, but small warungs, bemos and parking attendants do not, and parking fees of IDR 2,000–5,000 are normal at temples and beaches.

Traffic is the thing that breaks itineraries. The 35 km from Denpasar to Ubud can take 1 h in the early morning and 1 h 30 or more in the afternoon. Plan long moves before 09:00 or after 19:00, and never schedule a temple visit and a flight on the same tight afternoon.

Download both Gojek and Grab before you arrive; one sometimes works where the other does not, and both need a working data connection. An eSIM or local SIM is worth sorting at the airport.

Agree the price and the route before a long drive, keep small notes for parking, and carry a copy of your licence and IDP. If you are hiring a driver for several days, ask for the same person; they learn your pace and where you are staying.