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Big changes are to be implemented at Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport. New improvements will help tourists who are arriving on the island to find onward taxi services with more ease and far less hustle and bustle than seen in the arrivals area at present.
The changes are being brought in quickly following an altercation with private taxi drivers and airport security last weekend.
The plan is to install a dedicated counter for airport taxi service providers. These dedicated counters will be designed for those who have not already pre-booked an airport transfer. At present, many tourists feel hassled and confused by the airport pick-up system.
All taxi drivers, those who are booked and waiting for their guests, and those looking for passengers are all grouped together in the arrivals pick-up zone.
Tourists who wish to book an online taxi are often hassled by private drivers who are there already, and there are many tourists who are wary of getting into vehicles with drivers who they have not been introduced to in a former pickup area, especially following years of horror stories of scam taxis.
The General Manager of I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali, Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, told reporters, “Regarding the plan to create a special counter for land transportation business partners, this is one of the points discussed in the consolidation.”
“The plan is for a special counter for land transportation business partners to be located near the information counter at the international arrival terminal.”
He added, “Our initiative was welcomed by business partners because it will make it easier for them to offer their services.”
The new airport taxi counter will ensure that arrival tourists can stand in line to jump in a taxi that is ready and waiting; taxi drivers are also supported by this fairer system, and airport security will be better able to control the movement of people in the area keeping everyone calm and safe.
The new taxi counter is not the only new addition to the passenger experience at Bali Airport. A new pedestrian bridge, connected by a travelator, has been officially in operation at the domestic terminal arrivals zone for nearly two weeks.
The bridge connects the pickup area with the parking building, making it far more direct and safe for arrivals to travel between the two areas.
Over the years, passengers and airport staff have raised concerns that the system is confusing and even dangerous as arrival passengers pass on foot through the airport pick-up zone to the car park beyond.
Shahab told reporters, “On the land side, the work that has been completed and felt the benefits by airport service users is the construction of a pedestrian bridge at the domestic terminal, which has been operating since October 11, 2024.”
“The pedestrian bridge is a new facility that functions to connect the domestic arrival terminal with the pick-up zone and parking building.”
The pedestrian bridge is just part of a wider set of improvements made at the domestic terminal building, including the addition of four new vehicle lanes at the entrance to the airport terminal complex.
This has helped improve the flow of traffic from the entry point through to the international terminal and around the domestic terminal.
Shahab said, “We carry out all expansion and landside lane construction work without reducing the number of plants or using transplantation methods in order to maintain the beauty of the airport.”
He added, “Everything can run well, and the completion target has been met. We express our highest gratitude and appreciation to all parties who have helped with this optimization work.”
“Hopefully, we can continue to maintain and improve the quality of the services we provide.”
The work completed on the outside of Bali Airport mirrors ongoing improvements to the inside of the terminal buildings, which have included the installation of automated systems in the international arrivals and departures terminals.
