Indonesia has two main ride-hailing apps, Grab and Gojek. Each of them can ensure you get a ride when you’re out on day trips or looking to take advantage of Bali’s vibrant nightlife but which of them is better?
Should you aim to use Grab or Gojek or both during your holiday here? We’ve broken this down into a detailed look at each service these apps offer and why you might want to use these apps on the island.
Grab Vs Gojek In Bali
So, let’s take a look at each service that the apps here offer and what that means for you as a user.
Scooter Taxis (Grab – Go Ride, Gojek – Ojeks)
Getting around by scooter means that you can get to your destination faster than in a car.
It’s also cheaper than using a car.
But you should know that you must always wear a helmet to be insured and you may need to pay an extra insurance fee on the journey to be fully insured.
Accidents are common here in Bali and we prefer to use a Gojek or Grab Car over a scooter.
Taxi Drivers/Ride Shares (Grab – Grabcar, Gojek – Gocar)
If you want to see Bali the best transport on the island are the ride shares offered by these apps.
They are fixed-price services that you can pay for with real cash or by card through the app.
They are safer and cheaper than using taxis.
Food Delivery Services (Grab – Grabfood, Gojek – Gofood)
If you want McDonald’s at 3 a.m. you don’t have to go to the restaurant, you can use these apps to summon food any time of the day or night.
There is a surcharge levied by most restaurants on these services in addition to the delivery fee, which means it can be more expensive than going to the restaurant yourself.
However, it’s not much more expensive and it’s way more convenient.
Item Delivery Services (Grab – Grabpackagaes, Gojek – Gosend)
If you want to send a parcel to someone else in Bali, you don’t have to take it yourself.
You can send it via these apps which will send a driver to you to collect the parcel and take it to your recipient.
They will also collect any fees that you are owed and then credit them to your account or deliver them in cash.
Shopping Services (Grab – Grabmart, Gojek – Goshop)
You can shop from local supermarkets, marts and other stores using the shopping applications on these apps.
They’re both very good and super easy ways to get anything from milk to a new refrigerator to your door quickly.
Moving Services (Gojek Only – Gobox)
Gojek also offers a house moving service where they will come and pack up all your goods and move them for you. Grab doesn’t have this service (as yet).
Other Grab and Gojek Services
There are plenty of other services offered by these apps too including”
Gifts
You can send credit for these services through the app to somebody else in a “gifts” program.
Superbank (Grab Only)
The app plugs this service all the time which is really annoying as it’s only open to Indonesian nationals at the moment.
It’s an alternative to Ovo the e-wallet and has some basic banking services attached to it.
Ovo and GoPay
These are the e-wallets for Grab and Gojek respectively and we love these services. They allow you to hold money in a wallet that you can use on the app or for other services in Indonesia.
They ensure your credit card information is only kept in one place rather than all over the net. If you have a local bank account, you can top these services up from the banking app.
Bill Payment
This is probably not a big deal to tourists but you can settle many of the standard utility bills on these apps.
Both apps offer some basic insurance policies such as home, accident, etc. We’d recommend getting proper advice from an insurance agent before buying any policies.
Hotels
You can book hotel rooms on these apps and the prices are reasonably competitive.
Game Topup
If you’re into mobile gaming, there are options to top up various mobile gaming platforms within these apps. However, you can’t top up your Steam account (a Bali FAQ), you’ll need Link AJA, a different e-wallet provider here, for that.
Healthcare
They also offer some basic healthcare services. We’ve never tried these and we doubt we’d buy healthcare through an app when the clinics here are very reasonably priced.
Loyalty Programs
Both apps also have various loyalty programs (Grab has three different programs which can be a bit confusing (a VIP program based on spending, a paid discount program and another grading program which you can enter by spending OVO points). If you use the apps a lot the loyalty programs can make transport/food deliveries/etc. even cheaper.
Why Use Gojek And Grab?
There are good reasons to opt for these apps over hailing cabs in the street and they include:
It’s really convenient – the car or scooter comes to you and quickly
It’s cheap – you will always find their fares more affordable than using a taxi
It’s safe – you can see Bali secure in knowing all the details of your journey are agreed in advance
Lots of options – you can get the exact service you need at the touch of a button
What Are The Downsides Of Gojek And Grab?
There are some minor downsides of using these apps in Bali too and they include:
Drivers can double-book and then cancel your journey in favour of another one.
The taxi mafia here is real and often creates transport monopolies in parts of the island where a Grab or Gojek driver cannot go.
You won’t get any service in remote parts of the island – Northern Bali in particular is a dead zone.
Not every driver speaks English. This is no problem if you just want to go from A to B, but it can lead to communication challenges.
The Bali traffic – this isn’t a specific downside of the apps, mind you, just of being on the roads here in this part of the world.
Journey pricing is fixed by the app companies – that means that sometimes tips are essential as the driver isn’t earning enough to make life bearable.
Which Is Better Gojek Or Grab?
While Grab offers good deals and promo codes that make the services they offer even more appealing, so does Gojek and their e-wallets can be very handy when it comes to paying for other services without having to worry about exposing your card details.
Our recommendation is to download each of the two apps and then check out the cost of each individual service when you want to use it.
Sometimes, Grab will be cheaper, and sometimes Gojek will. Given that they’re both quite reliable services. We’d recommend letting price dictate which one you use.
Common Problems With Grab And Gojek In Bali
There are a few problems that we’ve encountered when using a ride-hailing service here in Bali and they include:
Driver not moving – this means they don’t really want the ride and are hoping they can get a better job, but will hold onto your job because it will cost them to cancel it. We’ve got a rule that if the driver doesn’t move within 3 minutes, we cancel the ride in the app and get a different driver.
Driver asking to cancel – as drivers get penalized when they cancel a ride the driver will often accept a trip and then refuse to do it. They will then ask you to cancel. Fortunately, the apps (which also penalize users for excessive cancellation) know this is a problem and now have a “driver asked to cancel” option in the cancellation menu.
Driver not turning up for food delivery – we’ve never had an issue with a driver after they’ve collected our food but occasionally, they accept the job and decide they don’t want it and decide to wait for you to cancel the job to avoid a penalty. The trouble is that you cannot cancel food rides, once the order is placed, you’re stuck with it. This is really frustrating but the only cost is waiting a long time (about 30 minutes) to be able to reorder food.
Driver demanding a tip or extra money – we’ve only had this problem 3 or 4 times in hundreds of uses but occasionally, they will text and ask for additional payment. If they do, cancel. If they demand extra money in person, tell them you’ve left your phone in the house.
Helpful Hints For Using Gojek And Grab In Bali
We’ve also got a few hints for making Grab and Gojek work better for you
Walk out of “no ride sharing zones” – there are parts of Bali where a car driver working for Grab or Gojek is unwelcome due to the presence of a local taxi mafia. If you find yourself in one, they’re usually very small and if you walk a couple of hundred meters, you can go back to ride-hailing again.
Find the hidden promo codes – both Grab and Gojek bury some really good offers in their apps and if you find them they can substantially reduce the cost of your journeys/food/etc.
Always wear a helmet on a scooter ride – if you don’t, you’re not insured in the case of an accident and accidents are horribly common in Bali. You don’t want to have to pay a huge medical bill because you can’t wear a helmet for a few minutes, do you?
Grab drivers cannot take more passengers than they are legally allowed to – that means you cannot get two of you on a scooter or ten people into one car.
Remember Bali traffic is often bad – estimated journey times are often woefully optimistic. Always leave earlier for somewhere than you would leave at home.
Feel free to tip – you’re not obliged to tip but it’s nice to give your driver a little bonus if they do a good job or go above and beyond the call of duty.
Use the e-wallets – if you can sign up for the e-wallets in these apps, you can shield your credit card or debit card details from the wider web. Ovo and Gopay can also be used to pay for other services in Bali.
You pay for tolls or parking – there’s no way for the app to accurately price these services when you pre-book your journey, so you’re expected to pay the driver. This is not likely to come to much more than 20,000 IDR ($1.50 USD or $2 AUD), mind you, so if you’re asked for more than that, you might want to dig into why.
Drivers rarely have change – so, if you pay in cash, you either need small bills or be aware that you might need to leave a very large tip.
You can add stops to any car or scooter ride – the app will let you add stops or you can ask the driver to stop places and wait (you should tip them well if you do this).
Always compare prices between the apps – you will be amazed at how much difference there can be at times. Tips are never included in the prices of transport.
If you use Grab a lot get Grab Unlimted – this is a cheap loyalty program that costs 24,000 IDR for 8 weeks (that’s about $1.60 USD or $2.40 AUD) and it gives you discount vouchers for nearly every service. We find it pays for itself within weeks.
Where To download The Apps?
You can download Grab here and download Gojek here.
Are There Other Ride-Hailing Apps In Bali?
There are two other ride-hailing apps here in Bali that you might consider using at times:
MyBlueBird/Blue Bird Taxi
This is the official Bali app for the Bluebird taxi firm and it works very well. The drivers they use are polite and honest and their cabs are branded making it easy to be confident that you’re in the right car.
However, it’s often a bit more expensive than the other two apps and there are fewer cars on the road which can lead to longer wait times.
InDrive
InDrive in Chiang Mai, Thailand is awesome. It’s not awesome here in Bali. The idea is good.
Instead of fixed prices for fares, you make an offer as to how much you are willing to pay for a ride and then drivers decide if they will accept that offer.
This works brilliantly in Thailand and we found that InDrive saved us a fortune compared to Grab there.
Here in Bali, the problem is that the drivers refuse to accept the affordable fares they have agreed to and immediately start demanding more money before even coming to pick you up.
If you cancel and try to rebook, the app will usually give you the same driver, demanding more money again and again.
This is a real shame because when it works InDrive is great. But most of the time it doesn’t work here and while we don’t mind paying tips, we’re not paying 200,000 IDR for a journey that ought to cost 20,000 IDR, either.
Is Grab Or Gojek Cheaper In Bali?
Either Grab or Gojek can be cheaper depending on the particular service you want, the time of day, the discounts you have accrued through loyalty programs, etc.
We find that if you’re price-sensitive and always want the best deals, you should check both apps before booking anything.
Which App Is Best For Rides In Bali?
Both Grab and Gojek are excellent for rides in the most popular parts of Bali and both of them can be a little difficult to hail a ride on when you’re out in the middle of nowhere.
Our recommendation is that if you intend to visit places that are off the beaten path that you use a private driver (often these are Grab drivers that are simply switching off the app and offering a better deal because they don’t have to pay Grab a commission for the day) rather than use an app.
However, in Canggu, Ubud, Seminyak, Uluwatu, Kuta, and Legian you should have no problem using the Gojek or Grab Ride services.
Is Gojek Better Than Grab?
The Gojek services can be better than the Grab services. However, there’s no doubt that Grab services can be better than Gojek services too.
A lot depends on which part of Indonesia you’re in (as while they’re both pretty good in Bali, one may be much weaker than the other in other parts of the archipelago).
Is Grab OK in Bali?
Yes! In fact, the author of this blog post spends about 8-10 million IDR a month on Grab services (including Grab Car services and food delivery).
There are occasional issues – sometimes a driver accepts a job and fails to show up or the local drivers don’t move because they’re waiting to get a better fare but overall, the services are very good and deliver as promised.
Is Uber In Bali?
No Uber is not in Bali. Well, actually it is. There’s no Uber app for Bali but Uber is a shareholder in Grab and Grab is a shareholder in Uber.
Uber used to be in this region and then decided to strategically withdraw after negotiating a long-term partnership with Grab.
Are Grab And Gojek Illegal In Bali?
No! While the Bali taxi mafia (unhappy taxi drivers who see Grab and Gojek Drivers as unwelcome competition) may try and convince you that they are – both services operate entirely legally on the island.
However, there are areas in which Gojek and Grab don’t operate because of fierce local resistance. The ride-sharing apps will mark these areas on your map so that you have a hassle-free experience when using them.
If you are in these areas, you have two options. 1. To use the overpriced local taxi drivers (and go through the hassle of negotiating prices that most drivers will ignore when you get to your destination and demand more money) or 2. to walk out of the area and use the ride-sharing apps.
Given that these areas are usually pretty small, we would normally walk and it’s a small price to pay for being in a dream destination like Bali.
You should be aware that the local police are unlikely to get into a dispute between taxi drivers and Grab and Gojek drivers – so avoid these areas if you can.
Do You Need A Credit Or Debit Card For Grab And Gojek In Bali?
No. While there’s no doubt that it’s super easy to download the Grab app or the Gojek app and then use a card with them, you can pay for everything with cash.
However, we have to note that service levels vary depending on whether you pay with cash or a card.
You may find that if you order food delivery at peak times and want to use cash that it’s very hard to find drivers willing to undertake even short trips to you particularly if you don’t use the app very often.
That’s not the drivers being unreasonable. If you choose to pay with cash, they pay the cost of the goods and then reclaim it when they get to you.
If you’re not there? They have to eat the cost of goods and that’s not affordable for most drivers on the island.
Do You Need A Local SIM Card for Gojek And Grab In Bali?
Yes. Grab works on a local SIM card from Indonesia or another part of Southeast Asia only and you cannot register for a Grab account without one.
That means you will need to buy a SIM when you arrive (there are deals for SIMS for tourists at the airport). It’s worth it.
Why Choose Gojek And Grab Over Taxi Drivers?
Most taxi drivers speak English in Bali but sadly. that doesn’t mean that they’re all operating with the interests of tourists at heart.
In our experience, when you hail a taxi here, they will usually refuse to use the meter. They will ask for a ridiculously high fare. They make up their own rules for each ride.
You can negotiate but when you get to your destination, they may demand an even higher fare.
Local police won’t help in disputes with these drivers and you will be ripped off.
In extreme circumstances, there may be threats to your personal safety when disputing fares with taxi drivers in Bali.
It’s much easier to download Grab and Gojek. Then, you have fixed price fares, no risk to your safety and even perks like cashback rewards.
We should note that Bluebird Taxi has a good reputation for treating tourists well but, unfortunately, there are scammers taking advantage of that reputation and they often paint their cards to look like a Blue Bird Taxi.
Are Gojek And Grab Safe To Use?
Yes. While we strongly recommend you compare prices (particularly when travelling short distances or at peak hours/rush hour) between the Gojek and Grab apps.
You won’t be ripped off and the Bali Grab and Gojek services are completely safe to use as the taxi apps track the drivers throughout their route and even contact you if they think there might be a problem to ensure you are safe.
They’re the the best way to explore Bali and even solo travellers can enjoy the super cheap fares that Gojek or Grab offers.
Final Thoughts On Gojek And Grab In Bali
While there are car rental and private driver services in Bali, Gojek and Grab drivers are often the best way to get around the island.
The Gojek and Grab apps also offer a huge number of extra services to their clients and we think everyone should have both apps on their phone all of the time.
It’s a shame there’s not much more in the way of competition here and while we do recommend installing the Bluebird App too (as a third option when Grab and Gojek can’t help), we’d only use Indrive in a moment of total desperation as the process of using it is just too frustrating.
Ride-sharing is by far the safest and cheapest way to get around this island. You should download Gojek and Grab at the airport when you arrive and then you won’t have to worry about transport and food delivery services throughout your holiday.
