Transport Options in Batam

• Blue Bird  Tel. +62 778 421234
• customercare@bluebirdgroup.com
• Silver Cab +62 778 461000
• cs@silvercab.co.id

Grab & Go-Car Online Taxis

If online taxis are your preferred form of transport, it must be remembered that Uber does not operate in Asia anymore and their operation has been taken over by Grab. 

The introduction of online taxis has caused some hostility from the longer established taxi drivers,  because of this, the numbers of available Grab cars are limited. Online Grab  are not  allowed to pick up in certain  locations such as malls, ferry terminals and the airport, however they are allowed to drop at these locations.

You may need to try several times to get an online taxi as success is also dependent on the driver accepting the fare.  That said, Grab is by far the cheapest type of taxi available and is becoming easier as time goes by.  I would advise you to agree with a Grab driver a pick time and location for your return as it will also be cheaper. As well as Grab in Batam you can also use Go-car.  Go car is part of the Gojek service for which you will need to download the app.  See the information at the bottom of the post.

Batam Bus Services

The bus service in Batam (known as Trans Batam), it must be said, has seen great improvements. However, this only encompasses 9 set routes.  Many of these routes are little use to those seeking to get to tourism locations, in addition to this, they’re primarily to connect different parts of the island albeit very efficiently.

Trans Batam Bus Transport Service. 

These are buses that run literally from all points north, south east & west on the Island. For example, if you prefer a shorter ferry crossing rather than the longer journey to Batam Center you could instead take a ferry to Sekupang and board a number 1 bus. There are 9 bus routes which are known as known as corridors.  Google clearly shows the location of all the stops.  It is worth noting that the main terminus is located outside Mega Mall at Batam Center.

Batam Bus Routes

1. Sekupang – Batam Centre (Mega Mall)
2. Tanjungucang – Batam Centre (Mega Mall)
3. Sekupang – Jodoh (Nagoya)
4. Sagulung (Tembesi) – Sekupang
5. Tanjungpiayu – Jodoh.
6. Nongsa – Batam Centre (Mega Mall)
7. Punggur – Jodoh (Nagoya)
8. Nongsa – Punggur
9. Tembesi – Galang (Barelang).

Buses are very clean with air conditioning and run approximately every 30 minutes. They have specific bus stops at the side of the road with a raised entry point, these stops usually have covered roof but not always. Click here for an interactive map of all the Trans Batam routes

Angkot (Minibus)

Many Indonesians still prefer the slow as well as dirty Angkot minibus service as their choice for transport.  This is primarily because it is cheaper even than the Trans Batam service.  Because of this, there’s lots of them and they will drop you at any point at the side of the road (much to the frustration of other road users).  In summary, Angkots operate on the following routes.

Angkot (Mini bus) Routes

Jodoh to Nongsa Muka Kuning- to Batu Aji Jodoh to Bengkong Bengkong to Muka Kuning Jodoh to Punggur Jodoh to Batu Aji-Dapur 12 via Sukajadi DisJodoh-Batu to Aji and Tanjung Uncang via Batam Cente The color of the particular Angkot minibus determines it’s route which can be seen by the key provided.

Gojek (Ojek Motorcycle taxi)

For the adventurous single traveler seeking transport, the cheapest and most convenient way to get around is the ojek motorcycle taxi.  Gojek literally has a monopoly on this service nowadays. Go Jek also offer services similar to Grab which is called Go-Car and Go-BlueBird.

Distinguishable by their luminous green jackets, to order a Gojek you will need to download the app. That means you need access to an Indonesian phone number as the riders usually want to call you and cross check your order.  As well as this, they offer an excellent food order and delivery service. If you don’t have access to the Gojek app, a local will almost certainly have it installed on their phone.  Gojek  is actually very useful means of transport at busy periods where traffic jams are common remember to check the weather first as it’s not much fum  in the rain.

Renting a Car & Driving in Batam

Car rental in Batam is available.  You can find a number of private renters that advertise cars for hire.  However, it is important to remember that daily charges are comparatively expensive compared to hiring a vehicle with driver.  Not only that, the condition of the cars may possibly not be to the standard you expect. The only established car rental company is Avis, they offer pick ups from the airport at Hang Nadim or meet and greet locations. 

If you rent a car from Avis, it will cost you the same price for 1 week as others charge for a month. If you are not used to driving in Batam or Indonesia, I would suggest to you not to rent a car.  The standard of driving here is poor and the set test is a list of questions which everyone knows the answers to.  I always say that the rule is that there isn’t any rules. As well as this, if you are a foreigner driving in Batam and you have an accident, it will always be your fault!  Add to that the fines you may have to pay (in cash) if the police stop you and all in all it really isn’t worth it.

Motorcycle Rental Batam

If you’re crazy enough to want to risk renting a motorbike in Batam, there are a few options.

There are several of scooters for rent in Batam.  The main outlet is in Kampung Seraya, not too far from Nagoya Hill mall called Rental Motor Batam.  When searching on Google maps, they also pop up in other locations.  We have used these for guests staying in our apartments close by.  The service is adequate but not exceptional.  When we originally called them, they quoted Rp 70,000 for the day.  However, when we arrived with our friends they said the price for foreigners is Rp100,000! This practice is actually illegal in Batam but of course difficult to get enforced.

The bikes they offered were in reasonable condition, but I personally always take photos before I rent anything to be sure.  They provide helmets but no insurance.  Deposit is by way of leaving your passport or a hefty 3 million rupiah.

Our guests had no problems retrieving their deposit I have to say.

A search on google maps will also reveal other locations, however on calling them they didn’t appear to have a lot of stock.