Booking a taxi and hiring a personal driver in Bali can be SUPER affordable if know what you’re doing. But, if you don’t, the Bali drivers are going to milk you for all you’ve got.
Instead of leaving Bali thinking it’s WAYYY more expensive than it should be, follow these tips to get affordable prices on transportation around the island:
1. Don’t Use an Official “Taksi”
NEVER just hail down a cab on the side of the street. You’ll waste a good 5-10 minutes haggling down an insane price and you’re still likely to get ripped of.
If you’re in the main tourist areas (Seminyak and Kuta) then using the GoJek app to book a Bluebird or a GoCar can be pretty cost-effective. However, when it comes to long trips to other parts of the island or if you’re anywhere outside the main tourist drag, this is not the way to go. Even if the GoJek app says it found you a driver for a reasonable price, they’ll likely haggle to twice or three times that price in the in-app messaging system. Save yourself the headache.
Instead….
2. Find a Driver Using Facebook
*Whether for a one-way trip or full-day tour around the island*
Join the Bali Facebook group pages (Canggu community, Ubud community, etc.) for wherever you’re staying in Bali (I recommend joining multiple) and use these pages to find a driver at a reasonable price.
Once you’ve been accepted, post the following if you just need a taxi:
- “Hi! I need a driver from (pick-up location) to (drop-off location) on (date) at (time) for (number of) passenger(s) and (number of) suitcase(s). Please PM me with your rates and a picture of your car! Thanks!”
Or, post this if you want a personal driver for one/multiple day(s):
- “Hi! I’m looking for a personal driver for the day from (start time) to (finish time) on (date) for (number of) passenger(s). I want to go to (names of locations). Please PM me with your rates and a picture of your car! Thanks!”
By not stating a specific price, you basically enable a private bidding war in your private messages and you can discreetly pick and choose the best price/car for your needs. There are SOOO many drivers in Bali that the only thing you need to prepare for is to have your Facebook Messenger app completely inundated with message requests.
*Some drivers might also send you a friend request, I usually just ignore these.
3. Get Their Whatsapp Number
Once you’ve chosen the driver you want to go with, get their WhatsApp number. This makes communication (and verifying each others’ location on the day of) SOOO much easier!
4. Confirm the Price, Date, and Time
In WhatsApp, be sure to confirm the agreed upon price and the service that is promised (just to make sure they don’t try to slip in any additional fees on the day of; e.g. you’re not paying for gas if they need to refuel while driving you).
Also confirm the date and time with the driver. I recommend using the exact date (ex: October 3, 2019) as well as the day (ex: Tuesday) and be sure to use the 24-hour clock…. just so that a misunderstanding is literally impossible.
5. *Tip Your Driver – Yup, You Heard Me Correctly
Now that you’ve gotten a fair price, please be sure to tip your driver if you thought their service was good: their driving wasn’t bad, the car was nice, etc. You’ve already saved at least $10-$20 because these guys are willing to drive you around the island for a fair deal, so if they do a good job, tip them what you can afford. If it’s just $2. Hey, that’s $2 more than it would have been! But $8-$10 if you can booked a personal driver for a full day (and if you can afford it) it is much appreciated and – especially for us Americans – just the right thing to do when you receive good service.
acaligirlinbali.travel.blog 