A video of a motorcycle taxi (locally known as ojek) driver almost getting violent with a foreign tourist has drawn the ire of Indonesian netizens, who blasted the attitude as counterproductive to Bali’s tourism-reliant economy.
The video, reportedly taken in Pecatu, was shared by community-based Instagram account @fakta.indo and was later reposted by @denpasar.viral three days ago. The clip begins with a Caucasian male as he is about to hop on a motorcycle taxi affiliated with a rideshare app.
He is prevented from getting on the bike, however, by a local man who pushes the foreigner away and blocks him from the vehicle. The local man is seen shouting at the foreigner and gesturing with his hands telling him to leave the area.
Another foreigner on a motorbike can be seen in the video watching the incident unfold. The app-based motorcycle taxi driver remains silent during the clip.
The narrator of the video explains that the local man is a traditional motorcycle taxi driver not affiliated with any apps (locally known as ojek pangkalan).
“If it continues like this, there will be an issue,” the unidentified narrator said.
Most commenters condemned the ojek pangkalan driver, saying that his kind is going out of fashion as they operate without regulations and tend to charge a lot more than their app-based counterparts.
“This is not a good look for Indonesian tourism,” one commenter said.
Some defended the ojek pangkalan driver, as it has been known in Bali that they have established bases throughout the island where app-based drivers are only allowed to drop off passengers but not pick them up.
In Indonesia, the emergence of ride-hailing services was met with resistance from traditional ojek and taxi drivers, who felt that the newcomers were impinging on their territory and stealing their customers. The rivalry has more or less disappeared over the years in major cities like Jakarta, but in Bali app-based drivers still actively steer away from ojek pangkalan territories to avoid repercussions.
Bali Police spokesman Bayu Satake told Coconuts that the police are looking into the incident.
“This should not be allowed,” he said over the phone. “I will find more information about this.”
