Uber is now doing something totally different for tourists in Bali

Driving in Bali. Photo credit: Harsimran Julka.

Uber has introduced a new feature tailor-made for Bali, the Indonesian island famous as an exotic holiday destination.

With UberTrip, launched last week, you can now grab a car for five hours at a flat fee and travel to whichever destination you like. You can make multiple stops.

“It’s the first of its kind in the Uber world. Bali is the first city for the roll out,” Uber Indonesia spokesperson Dian Safitri told Tech in Asia.

Day tripper

UberTrip is a lot like the half or full-day car rental that holidaymakers often use on the island. Even Uber’s pricing is roughly the same. It charges US$22.30 for the five-hour deal. This includes driver and gas. After the time’s up, you’ll be charged US$0.07 per minute.

Scheduling might be included later.

It’s a huge step away from Uber’s traditional model which charges passengers based on time and distance traveled and caters mostly to inner-city trips with a single destination.

In Bali, six out of 10 Uber passengers are tourists.

“UberTrip was developed by the Bali team to answer the needs of visitors to discover the island,” Dian said. “It is early days for UberTrip, but it is [a] model that can be brought to other markets.”

UberTrip rides in Bali can’t be scheduled ahead and are only available on-demand, but a scheduling feature might be added later.

Converted from Indonesian rupiah. Rate: US$1 = IDR 13,455.