Originally Posted by
ftrichard
Well of course they do it for money but $3.75 for a half hour airport run is insane even by Uber's SE Asian standards. The cars were good (Honda City) and the drivers educated and well presented. I live in KL where UberX frequently results in a battered Perodua Myvi running on some of the cheapest petrol outside the middle east so paying $1 for a short local trip or $18 for a 60-minute airport run seems ok.
In Bali, though, the Uber pricing really seems unsustainabley low. Are they pricing to punish the taxi mafia? What would a metered taxi be for this journey? How much are the drivers really taking home? The moral hazard of using Uber is playing out on the streets of Bali.
Spending most of my time in Jakarta, Uber prices in Bali (and taxi prices) actually seem expensive compared to Jakarta
Anyway, I think the reason for the cancellations might be that you can't speak Indonesian/Balinese or that they can't call you. And the reason they want to pick you up at departure might be because all the taxi stands are at the arrival level (and they really want to avoid the taxi mafia).