Part of: Paying in Indonesia
Bali has no trains and only a thin bus network. A month here runs on ride apps, by car and by bike, on a hired driver for the long days and, for many long-stayers, on a rented scooter. The map is the wrong tool for planning any of it. A short hop across Canggu that takes minutes off-peak can stretch far longer at the late-afternoon peak, and Badung’s own transport agency says the detours are just as clogged. Learn the traffic windows before anything else.
Most trips come down to one of five ways of moving.
Apps, drivers, scooters and the bus
Install both ride apps
Grab and Gojek both run cars, larger cars and bike taxis in Bali, and they're roughly equivalent. Their prices surge at different times, so check both before you book. Grab also sells hourly bookings and scheduled rides. Rides are paid in the app, so add a card to each before your first trip. A bike taxi is the fastest way through peak traffic if you travel light. Check the plate and the driver against the booking every time.
Walk out where pickups aren't allowed
Some villages don't allow ride-app pickups, so a driver may ask you to walk out to meet the car. The fix is a short walk toward the main road and a fresh booking. Pickups are also hard at the Batu Bolong beachfront and the Berawa beach clubs, and in Ubud the sources disagree, so ask your guesthouse how guests get collected.
Hire a driver for the long days
Hotels and villas arrange drivers, and Grab's hourly bookings do the same job through the app. A driver is the default for an Ubud day trip, the rice terraces at Jatiluwih, Tanah Lot at sunset and any airport run with real luggage. Agree on what's included before you set off, and plan the drive back with the late-afternoon peak in mind.
Rent a scooter only if you already ride
Bali's 2025 code of conduct for visitors asks riders to wear a helmet, carry a valid license and use licensed rentals. Read your own travel insurance policy before you ride, so you know what it says about scooters. Then the habits: helmet on every ride, no riding after a drink, no first-ever ride in Canggu traffic, the phone mounted and the bag on the inside.
Use the bus where it actually goes
Trans Metro Dewata runs six routes: Kuta Central Parking to Pesiapan, Ubung to the airport, Ubung to Sanur, Ubung to the Monkey Forest end of Ubud, Kuta to the State Polytechnic, and Kuta to Nusa Dua. It stopped at the start of 2025 when its national subsidy ended and restarted in April with provincial and regency money. No route serves Canggu or the Bukit.
Traffic peaks three times a day, in the morning, at midday and in the late afternoon, and the late one is the worst. The known bottlenecks are Kerobokan, Sunset Road, Berawa, Pererenan, the big Denpasar intersections and Dalung on the way to Ubud. Jalan Raya Canggu is notoriously jammed, the Jalan Anggrek shortcut between Canggu and Berawa is narrow, one-way and often at a standstill, and Canggu’s sunset hour is its own gridlock. Canggu to Uluwatu and anywhere to Ubud are long trips, while Seminyak, Sanur and Nusa Dua are the closest areas to the airport. Leave Uluwatu, Nusa Dua or the airport early in the afternoon, not at the end of the day.
Plan around the traffic windows, not the kilometers.
Walking works in pockets. Seminyak is walkable along Jalan Kayu Aya and Jalan Petitenget, with uneven sidewalks elsewhere. Sanur has a long, flat, paved beachfront path. In Canggu, Pererenan and the beach side of Batu Bolong and Berawa have better footpaths than Jalan Raya Canggu. Central Ubud is walkable end to end. Don’t wait for a train: an urban railway planned to run from the airport through Kuta and Seminyak toward Berawa broke ground at Kuta Central Parking in September 2024, and reporting since says it has stalled. The Kura-Kura tourist shuttle still lists Kuta to Ubud trips, reservations required, on a smaller and more changeable network than before.
On the road you mostly pay inside the ride app, on the card you added. Off the apps, you pay at the counter: verify in the app first, then scan the QRIS code at the counter and check the rupiah amount, and a licensed local partner pays the merchant in rupiah. Keep small rupiah notes for stalls without a code. How to pay in Indonesia has the counter in detail.
Mistakes to avoid
Planning the day by distance
A short hop on the map can eat the afternoon. Put the long trips (Ubud, the Bukit, the airport) in the morning, and don't book anything across Canggu for sunset.
Waiting for a pickup that can't happen
If the driver keeps cancelling or asks you to walk out, you may be somewhere that doesn't allow app pickups. Walk toward the main road and book again.
Learning to ride in Canggu traffic
The island's busiest roads are the worst classroom there is. If you've never ridden, use bike taxis. If you have, wear the helmet every time, keep the phone mounted, and check your insurance before the first ride.
Counting on the bus for the coast you came for
The Trans Metro Dewata routes are useful for Denpasar, Kuta, Sanur, Nusa Dua and the Monkey Forest end of Ubud. None of them reaches Canggu or the Bukit.
Common questions
Grab or Gojek in Bali?
Both. They run the same mix of cars, larger cars and bike taxis, they're roughly equivalent on the island, and their prices surge at different moments, so compare the two before you book. Grab also sells hourly bookings and scheduled rides, which help for a day out or an early airport run. Rides are paid inside the app, so add a card to each before you land, and check the car and the driver against the booking every time.
Why won't my ride app pick me up here?
Some Bali villages don't allow ride-app pickups, so a driver may ask you to walk out to meet the car. Walk toward the main road and book again. Pickups can also be hard at the Batu Bolong beachfront and the Berawa beach clubs, so plan the ride home before you sit down.
Should I rent a scooter in Bali?
Only if you already ride with confidence, and never as a first lesson in Canggu traffic. Bali's 2025 code of conduct for visitors asks riders to wear a helmet, carry a valid license and rent from licensed businesses, and the UK's travel advice reports a large increase in moped accidents. Check that your travel insurance covers you on that bike before you take the key, wear the helmet on every ride, keep the phone mounted rather than in your hand, and don't ride after drinking.
Is there public transport in Bali?
A little. The Trans Metro Dewata buses run six routes linking Kuta, Terminal Ubung in Denpasar, Pesiapan, Sanur, Nusa Dua, the airport and the Monkey Forest end of Ubud. None serves Canggu or the Bukit. The Kura-Kura tourist shuttle runs a smaller network than it used to, with reservations required. There is no train; an urban railway broke ground in 2024 and has since stalled.
How do I get from the south coast to Ubud?
By road, and slowly. Anywhere to Ubud is a long trip, and the Dalung stretch on the way up is a known bottleneck. A driver arranged by your villa or an hourly app booking is the comfortable choice with bags; an app car works for a one-way transfer. From Denpasar, the bus from Terminal Ubung reaches the Monkey Forest end of town. Leave in the morning, not the late afternoon.
