My mode of transport to navigate this tropical island has been Grab. For several reasons I feel the safest as a solo female traveller, using this ride App rather than any other method. Here are some of the adventures of riding Grab around Bali.
Expense
It definitely has not been cheap, unlike Thailand, and definitely not like Vietnam. In fact, most things have been hella expensive here in Bali compared to the other Asian countries I have recently visited.
For example, my rides from the airport to Ubud were 450K or $38 CAD. That is for a 36-kilometer journey which took two and a quarter hours.
From Ubud to Seminyak was 365k or $31 CAD for a 30-kilometer journey and took 1.5 hours. I understand taxis in western countries and Europe are exorbitant, but I am comparing these prices to other Asian countries.
Traffic
It is absolutely horrendous. I cannot state this strongly enough. There are so many vehicles on the roads on this island, and the roads are simply not equipped to handle this volume of vehicles. It appears the infrastructure has not changed in perhaps 50 years, especially up near Ubud.
All of my drivers have shown extreme frustration inside the vehicles, akin to road rage back home, which has made me a very nervous passenger. My number one rule while riding, is don’t look out the front window. If I do, my heart is in my mouth. Here are two examples.
Driver #1
My driver on the 2nd trip from the airport to Ubud, was the most aggressively vocal. While driving, a couple of tourists on a motorcycle, used the sidewalk on our left to squeeze past us, going the wrong way. Part of their bike scraped the side of his vehicle. The driver lost his cool (as would anyone) and began angrily ranting about how tourists have no respect for Bali or its people. The remainder of the trip was listening to the driver vocalize how horrible tourists are and me agreeing so as not to anger him further. 😣🫣
I can tell you, sitting there as a female tourist passenger, I was highly uncomfortable and even a bit afraid because of his behaviour.
Driver #2
The driver from Ubud down to Seminyak was equally frustrated by the traffic. It was stop and go the entire way, all 1.5 hours. He was audibly, huffing, shifting in his seat and thumping his thigh repeatedly with a tightly closed fist.
Any small window of opportunity he had, he whizzed out into oncoming traffic or up onto the sidewalk to get one single car further ahead. It was terrifying and highly uncomfortable to be inside that vehicle for that long. The atmosphere was so charged and tense. Uggggg.
Why Use Grab?
Because I will know the cost up front when I go to order the vehicle on the App. I will have a picture of the driver, the license place and be able to share this information at the click of a button should I need to.
I will be able to track the route on a map, so I know I am not being taken off course.
Not being at the mercy of the local taxi mafias is a huge plus as well. I don’t have to bargain for a price for the ride, I know the vehicles should be somewhat clean and safe. There is never a fool proof method to travel safely, but using an app like Grab or Bolt is preferable to me.
The adventures continue as I use Grab to travel around the coastal areas of Bali. Hopefully none get worse that what has already transpired. If I had to do Bali again, I would pick one location, so remote and stay there the whole time. It has not been a fun experience getting from A to B.
