Foreign tourists visiting Bali, take note: if you want to rent a motorbike during your stay, you’ll need a valid international driving license. The island’s administration says it is seeking to step up enforcement of this rule with the aim of ensuring your safety and preventing unruly behavior on the roads of the Island of Gods.
Samsi Gunarta, the head of Bali’s Transportation Agency, said the measure is intended to suppress the number of foreign tourists who drive shirtless, helmetless, and recklessly. He was referring to some viral videos that showed foreigners flouting traffic rules and disrespecting local culture.
“In terms of international [law], people can drive vehicles but they must have a license. This is what needs to be ensured. If they don’t have [a driver’s license] then they can’t [rent motorbikes],” Samsi said today on the sidelines of a conference in Nusa Dua.
“We have a problem of the many foreign tourists only wearing bikinis while driving rented motorbikes and driving them without understanding how to drive. Even if it’s difficult to fix this habit, we are trying to handle it.”
Under Indonesian traffic law, driving without a license is an offense punishable by up to four months in prison or a fine of IDR1 million (US$67.84). Yet Bali has been long known for its relaxed attitude towards this rule, as law enforcement have generally turned a blind eye to foreigners renting motorbikes without a license.
Bali Governor Wayan Koster recently made headlines when he announced that foreign tourists would be banned from renting motorbikes altogether. However, that has so far turned out to be just talk as no official regulations on the matter have been published by the island’s authorities.
Samsi said that specific regulations on foreigners renting motorbikes in Bali are still under discussion as the government also wants to hear from agencies that provide rented motorbikes to tourists.
