Despite police saying we could expect a tiny protest today of less than one hundred Bali taxi drivers protesting online transport service providers, reports are saying that thousands have joined today’s protest, starting from Renon, Denpasar this morning.
Fortunately, as of writing time, things have been calm and under control, unlike the chaotic protest yesterday in Jakarta by taxi drivers there.
Speaking of peaceful, drivers from the Bali Taxi Driver Association (Persotab) and Aliansi Sopir Transport Bali (the Alliance of Transport Drivers in Bali) were even spotted dancing as they rallied, some to dangdut music according to SindoNews.
Other than dancing, many drivers chanted about how they’re against taxis that do not use permits—no doubt a jab at transport apps Uber and Grab that have fueled their fair share of controversy in the Bali transport industry.
Persotab Chairman Ketut Wira reportedly said that his organization and the Alliansi have made a written request to the Minister of Communication and Information Technology to immediately block Uber and Grab apps from operating in Bali.
“We’ve also asked the Transportation Department to immediately make a request to the Denpasar government to lower Grab and Uber billboards,” Wira said, as quoted by SindoNews.
