Bali Tourism Driver Holds Demonstration, Asks For Online Taxis To Be Restricted

A thousand conventional drivers from the Bali Tourism Driver Struggle Forum during an online taxi restriction at the Bali DPRD, Denpasar, Monday (6/1/2025). (ANTARA/Ni Putu Putri Mulinari)

DENPASAR - The police deployed 346 personnel from the Denpasar Police and Bali Police in securing the action of the Bali Tourism Drivers Struggle Forum (FPDP).

"If the number of security personnel is 346, we will carry out security at the Bali DPRD Office, and the results of coordination with the DPRD, this action is received by the chairman of the DPRD directly," said Denpasar Police Ops Head I Ketut Tomiyasadilansir ANTARA, Monday, January 6.

On Monday (6/1) since 09.00 WITA, around 1,000 protesters consisting of conventional Bali drivers came to the Bali DPRD Office to express their aspirations.

Tomiyasa said they had pocketed this agenda information, so the Denpasar Police, assisted by pecalang and Bali Satpol PP, had prepared from the gathering point to the Wantilan of the Bali DPRD Office.

There is no special focus on security from the police, because the action went smoothly and the complaints of conventional drivers were directly accommodated by the ranks of the Bali DPRD.

Chairman of the Bali Tourism Driver Struggle Forum I Made Darmayasa himself said the arrival of thousands of conventional drivers brought six demands.

This member of the 100 drivers' association in the tourism sector complained about the existence of special rental transportation or online taxis that seemed to rob local residents of employment.

"Bali is like sugar, if the goal is only to travel we accept, we receive every day religious rituals, but our rights are robbed, capitalized investors are taking in Bali, we run but welfare has been robbed since online taxis arrived in Bali," he said.

In front of the council, the OPD leadership, and the apparatus, Darmayasa said that this action is not the first time, it has been done when preventing the increase in special rental transportation that violates the rules.

"We've moved from 2011 and then 2017, and in 2019, but what happened was an inconsistent result," said Darmayasa.

Their demands at the Bali DPRD include limiting the quota of Balinese online taxi cars, controlling and reorganizing the existence of special rental transport vendors in Bali, including rental cars and motorbikes, making tariff standardization for special rental transportation, and limiting driver recruitment to only Bali ID cards.

In addition, thousands of drivers want the government to require tourism cars with Bali numbers (DK plates) and also to install clear identities in vehicles, as well as standardize tourism drivers from outside Bali.