Catch the bus: Bali resumes regular services

Visitors to Bali can now resume taking advantage of the local bus service to get to key tourism destinations including Ubud and Sanur.

Bali’s public bus service, Trans Metro Dewata, will resume operation as of today, the Bali Sun newspaper reports.

The service came to a halt at the beginning of the year due to funding constraints, leaving thousands of local residents without access to affordable public transport and reducing travel options for tourists.

But potential bus riders have been warned buses will operate at a reduced capacity compared to 2024.

The service previously operated 105 services a day, and while the routes will remain the same, only 75 services will operate daily - and none at night.

Ida Bagus Eka Budi, operational manager of PT Satria Trans Jaya, told local media: “The distance between buses becomes between 17-19 minutes from the previous 12-13 minutes.”

The six bus routes are as follows:
Route 1: Kuta Parking Centre-Pesiapan Terminal
Route 2: Ubung Terminal-Ngurah Rai Airport
Route 3: Ubung-Sanur Terminal
Route 4: Ubung Terminal-Monkey Forest Parking Centre
Route 5: Kuta Parking Centre-Bali State Polytechnic
Route 6: Kuta-Nusa Dua Parking Centre

Officials from Dishub, the Bali Transportation Agency, have confirmed that passengers can use the Trans Metro Dewata smartphone app to check to-the-minute information regarding bus times and to plan their routes.

The app is called ‘MitraDarat’ and is available on the Apple App Store and on Android.

One-way ticket fees will remain at IDR 4,400 (that's 43 cents in Australian money) for both Indonesian residents and tourists.

The service connects tourists with destinations in central Ubud like Ubud Palace, and the Ubud Monkey Forest, as well as destinations in Denpasar like the Bajra Sandhi Monument and the beach resort of Sanur.