Bandung Warnings Or Dangers

Traffic in Bandung is so complex and the city administration likes to make experiments about the traffic. There are lack of traffic signs and directions. Most major roads are one-way, which makes it difficult to turn around if you are lost. Be careful to enter a street that it might be a one-way street from the opposite direction and there is no no-entry sign.

There is no uniform color, but each route has the same 2-color scheme, even the same model of minibus (some routes may mix Kijangs and minibusses). There may be custom variations to the vehicles because they are privately-owned.

Usually an angkot is a modified ordinary minibus. The 10 seat minibus becomes 18 seats. This is possible by lining passengers side by side. It might be a bit awkward for the first-time users.

Don't be nervous about touching other passengers,; the cramped seating often makes it unavoidable. Do be aware that some pickpockets operate on angkots. Be very careful if you see someone acting sick or odd.

To stop, just shout 'kiri !!' (pron: kee-ree), translated left in English. It is a request for the driver to pull aside to the left.

The most comfortable and safest seat is usually the front-window, next to the driver.

Payment is by direct cash only, but preferably in small denominations. An average single trip fare costs Rp2.000 ~ Rp5.000

The door is typically removed, so don't be scared if it is missing.

our first visit to bandung was jan (2007). my fren and her family went before and only had wonderful stories to tell. told us bout this wonderful & honest cabbie they met and eventually hire to drive 'em around. she recommend this guy. my hubby agreed to hire him 4 our trip. i called him from m'sia 2 discuss $, he was all 'its ok' so i tot, okay we'll discuss in detail when we reach. he picked us up at the airport, he was driving a black kijang (avanza look-a-like), we tot..hmm, not bad. we checked in, went straight for FOs. he paid for parkings & tip attendents, we try to gv him money he refused. on first day, we paid him wat we tot was full payment. (cant remmbr the amt). next day, he came with a blue cab. i tot, since only the two of us..why not use smaller car..(me thinkin surely cheaper). 4 days we were pickd up & sent back after shoppings. night b4 our flight home, he called us for full payment. i was confused. i thought the first day paymnt was the full payment. my husband tried to reason/bargain wit him, but he said tt he chargd my fren d same rate n dat he isnt lying..(md us felt so guilty..after all we used his service). so we ended up payin total rm700 for a lousy car on a lousy trip. if i knew i was ganna pay rm700, i would used him 24hrs! if my conversion rate is correct i musthv paid rm175 (rp447,650) a day! i coudnt get hold of my m'sian fren so i couldnt verify his claim, my hubby paid. when we reachd m'sia, i called my fren and she didnt pay that much & her whole family was driven in a van! it was shocking for the both of us. the experience left us angry. it kinda tarnished d whole experience. however, i must say bandung has its own unique quality. so this friday will be our next trip to bandung. this time around,we came prepared. lesson well learned. no more taxis, we'll try the angkot (more exciting, no?)..so the cash wasted on taxi can go to my budget to buy loads of bags. i hope our second time around wont be as bad. so really REALLY CONFIRM THE PRICE..good luck! travel safe, travel smart.

When we asked how much was the taxi ride, the driver said "Up to You, I do Not mind". We asked him repeatedly and told him that we also needed to budget the ride. And he kept repeating the same thing. We decided that for his effort, we'd pay him Rp100,000.00.

He brought us to a restaurant and it turns out, whilst we ate, spoke to the cashier and brought the receipt to us, saying he had paid.

When we arrived at our hotel, turns out that he was charging us Rp50,000.00 for each hour of service. So we ended up paying him Rp200,000.00 and also an extra Rp100,000.00 for the food.

Advice:- Don't let the cab driver pay for your food in advance. You wouldnt know if he's cheating you of your money. And always set the price of your ride (per hour or per day) well in advance before making any commitments to hire him.

workaholic

workaholic

workaholic