Public transport in Kuta and Ubud
Like many tourists during their visit to Bali do, even you can decide to spend a few nights in touristy Kuta (or its surroundings). Southwest, a few kilometers away from Denpasar, a 4.5 km long stretch of sandy beaches starts right behind the Discovery Shopping Mall. The southernmost point of the stretch begins with Pantai Segara beach, which after a few hundred meters turns into Kuta Beach, then Legian Beach and ends in the northernmost point with the beach of Pantai Semyniak. Along the entire length of the stretch has been built a very dense tourist infrastructure, and in the first place, it may be somewhat unclear, how to travel inexpensively around Kuta and between different areas.
Transport around Kuta and its surroundings
Taxi drivers can't wait to rip you off. If you still choose to use the taxi service, look for Bluebird Taxi (they have a mobile phone app too). You might need a bit of luck to find an honest taxi driver who can confirm he'll use a taximeter. The start-up rate and every kilometer cost you 7,000 IDR.
More courageous travelers, with plenty of time, can use a very cheap bemos. These are the dark blue, wrecked shared vans that circulate around the town and between cities from dawn to dusk. The fare is a bargain. Whoever mastered haggling, goes from Kuta to Seminyak for 5,000 IDR. A regular tourist would pay about 10,000 IDR per person. The biggest problem, however, is to estimate the bemo route and where to catch it. In Kuta, most bemos circulate around Jl. Pantai Kuta Beach, Jl. Legian and Jl. Raya Kuta.
See the following article - Where to catch a bemo to Denpasar (5 - 10K IDR).
Many tourists and people on holidays, however, do not want to waste their precious time searching for a bemo and arguing over a price.
For those, I have a tip. Use an extensive network of green air-conditioned micro and minibusses Kura-Kura Bus. They will transport you around Kuta and to the neighboring areas Legian and Semyniak for a pleasant 20,000 IDR on each route.
You can buy a 3 day pass for 150K and a 7-day pass for 250K. On the most frequented routes in Kuta and Legian, minibusses come at interval of 20 - 30 minutes, 9 AM - 6:40 PM.
For more information on the Kura-Kura Bus service, visit the company website.
Kuta - Ubud
Kura-Kura buses also operate on the Kuta-Ubud route. For 80K IDR per person, you will be conveniently taken from DFS Bus Bay (stop at the parking lot between Bali Galeria and Cinema Galeria XXL, map).
DFS Bus Bay can be reached on foot from Popies 1 in 20 minutes, or there is a possibility to use the Kura-Kura minibus on a yellow or green route.
If you buy a return ticket on the Kuta - Ubud route, you only pay a total of 120K IDR for both trips.
Street market vendors and travel agencies in Kuta have similar offers for a ticket to Ubud at 60K IDR as well. It's up to you whether you trust them or not.
If you'd like to go with the price even lower, take a look at the article - From Kuta to Ubud locally for 28,500 IDR.
