Brilio.net/en - Bali Regional Peoples Representative Assemby (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Daerah or DPRD) had decided to ban Uber and Grab services to operate in the tourism island. The application-based transportation services had considered to killing local transportation business. The other considerations are that the companies are illegal and do not have permission, do not pay tax and retribution to Balinese Regional Government.
Nyoman Adi Wiryatama, the head of Bali DPRD, declared the banning in front of hundreds of taxi drivers who came to the DPRD Wantilan office to protest last Thursday (21/1/16). The taxi drivers came under the Bali Taxi Drivers Union (Persatuan Sopir Taxi Bali or PERSOTAB) along with Bali Transportation Drivers Alliance (Aliansi Sopir Transportasi Bali) in long march, wearing Balinese traditional clothes and escorted by police force. They protested hardly for the banning and threatened to use radical movement if the government does not take serious act on it.
To this, Wiryatama considering that both Uber and GrabTaxi do not give any benefit to the Bali Government economically, but also categorized as illegal businesses because the operation based on cyberspace. Both of the services also had caused many problems and commotions between Balinese transportation drivers, which could jeopardize the peace of tourism in Bali. The traditional taxi and other transportation drivers feel the presence of Uber and GrabTaxi as a threat to their profession and took their potential customers away. They hoped the government would maintain the existing transportation and said that Bali will have an overload of vehicles that would make traffic jams everywhere.
The former Tabanan Regent said firmly to completely eradicate these illegal services in order to disciplined Bali. Its safety is also questioned if it is illegal. If the customers are being robbed we cannot sue them because the companies are cyber-based, Wiryatama said. He promised that he and the Assembly would soon set a meeting with the Bali Governor, Mangku Pastika, who has the executive right to issue the law, while he as the legislative will help to fight for the peoples voice and to control the strive of all drivers in Bali.
(brl/tis)
