Uber type taxi in Bali?

[mugwump]

Within the last three months someone posted something about a new taxi service I believe in the Denpasar area. Despite attempts to search for it here or on Google I can't locate it. I think the name was something like MYGRAB, but that name and its approximations unearths nothing.
If anyone can contribute information about a new Uber type taxi operation please let me know.
Thanks in advance.

 

[geedee]

It's called grabtaxi.
I think it's Singapore company.
They had or are having a Bali promo

 

[mrsgabry]

It is called grabtaxi. It works just fine. About half price of a metered taxi. Download the app on your smartphone and register. I use it for some time and and no complaints so far.

 

[Indiedog]

GrabTaxi app works great. Type in where you are, where you want to go, it tells you the price (at least half the cost of metered) and you press the "book it" button and then it searches for the nearest cab. Once the driver accepts the booking a picture of the taxi driver appears together with his registration plate number and the distance he or she is from you pops up on the screen. You can then see their progress on a map as they get closer and closer. It takes a minute or two to book. The longest I've waited for a cab is 10 minutes due to traffic on the bypass. I've used from Sanur, Seminyak, the airport. From Seminyak to Sanur we paid 52k. The cars are not marked so it is useful to remember the registration plate details so you can flag it down. The only downside I've found so far is that it doesn't seem to accept regular addresses - ie No 37 Jalan so-and-so, but rather relies on business addresses - ie hotel or shop names. It does however let you call the cab once you've made the booking so it is possible to clarify if necessary.

I've never used Uber but I'm told you need to register your credit card with them. With GrabTaxi you pay the driver cash direct.

One word of caution using it from the airport - the regular taxi drivers get well pee'd off if they see you using your phone app to book a cab - be discreet otherwise the rip off boys will bring the airport to a standstill !!!

 

[ronb]

OK, I have an Uber story - my first try at them. I stayed a couple of nights in Siloam hospital so had not driven there. Got free of the hospital in the early afternoon and said "let's try Uber". The app works a treat, the black Avanza with the correct number-plate arrives, we get in he gets back out onto Sunset Rd, goes 200 metres and stops just before the Pertamina opposite Carrefour.

He makes a phonecall (in a Java language) which gets heated. Turns out he doesn't have enough fuel to get to Ubud, nor does he have cash. Since we will be paying with credit card there is no question of us advancing cash. The phonecall is to his "boss" who owns the car and he wants cash to be sent by motorbike (such an Indonesian business model) but the boss is apparently short of cash or courier so its no-go. He says call another Uber which we tried - when this one turned up he also declined to go to Ubud. Now the app had already told them the destination, so why they accept jobs they can't do or don't want is a mystery. By now we had wasted 40 minutes so flagged down a blue taxi (not Bluebird) - the driver bargained a bit to 250,000 (double the 120,000 Uber quote) and off we went no hassles.

My partner says no way are we trying Ubuer again - although I would like to. I have used Go-jek in Ubud and like them.

 

[SamD]

One word of caution using it from the airport - the regular taxi drivers get well pee'd off if they see you using your phone app to book a cab - be discreet otherwise the rip off boys will bring the airport to a standstill !!!

Thanks for that information, will definitely try them when we arrive in Dec. Personally, I don't care if the regular airport taxis get p'd off, in fact it would give me quite a bit of satisfaction having been ripped off in the past. What can they do? Like a lot of Bali regulars I suspect, I use Bluebird almost exclusively if I need a taxi because they are fair and use meters. (and all the drivers seem to have fantastic names like Dolphinius and Marianus). The airport taxis are crooks, plain and simple and deserve all they get in terms of commercial retribution, in my opinion anyway.

Cheers.

 

[mugwump]

Thanks to all. Am seeing my grandson off on a US flight from our Seminyak hotel late at night and wanted to examine the options.
The information provided is greatly appreciated.

 

[Normy]

I also use Blue Bird exclusively They have never failed no matter what time, in the middle if the night. Sometimes they get a bit lost and the driver rings me for more details. I think the maximum wait has been 20 mins. On a short trip 1 day the driver attempted to give me change from rp.10000, which I declined. The thanks was embarrassing. I note when the airport taxis are cruising in Sanur they are very keen to tell you they have meters. I still don't use them.