Bali's Sudden Drop in Public Transport Passengers

(6/9/2008)

Republika reports that public transportation providers in Bali are reporting a drop in passengers by as much as 60% in the aftermath of an average 28.7% increase in fuel prices. [See: Fuel Prices Increase 28.7% ]

Bus operators between the various cities and villages of Bali are befuddled by the sudden drop in business. One transportation manager at Denpasar's Ubung terminal, Ketut Jiwa, said, "we don't know the cause, maybe people are just too tired to leave home."

Speaking on Monday, June 2, 2008, Jiwa said the sudden drop in passenger levels is not a phenomenon limited only to Denpasar, but is also being reported by operators in Gilimanuk and Singaraja.

Another operator of an intra-provincial bus line, I Wayan Sadia, told Republika that bad weather conditions over the Bali Straits have also played a role in the sudden drop in passengers.