Bali authorities ban tourists from renting motorbikes

Tourists in Bali have been banned from renting vehicles due to increased accidents. This was announced at a press conference by the governor of the island Wayan Coster.

He explained that foreigners are "outraging and violating" the rules, which is why they will now be allowed to use only those modes of transport that are specifically provided by tourism services and meet the standards of "ensuring quality tourism," reports Bloomberg.

“Tourists must behave like tourists and use vehicles provided by travel agents. Tourists should not drive on their own or ride a motorcycle without a shirt or helmet, ”said Koster (quoted by Bali Discovery). He added that many of the travelers drive rented motorcycles without a driver's license.

The governor has sought support from the Justice Department to allow Bali to revoke visas if foreigners are seen riding motorcycles or commit other offenses such as working illegally.

The governor also asked the central immigration agency to cancel its visa-on-arrival policy for citizens of Russia and Ukraine, after people from those countries with tourist visas were found illegally employed, Reuters reported. According to official figures from the authorities, Russians are one of the largest groups of foreigners arriving in Indonesia. More than 77,500 Russians arrived in Indonesia between September 2022 and January, following the easing of restrictions related to COVID-19 , according to statistics cited by Reuters . During the same period, about 8.8 thousand Ukrainians arrived in the country.

According to Coster, the number of violations committed by Russians and Ukrainians is much higher compared to residents of other countries. In March, at least four Russians were deported for visa violations, the agency said.