Padang Transportation

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Taking an angkot is the most common way to travel in Padang. Easy and also cheap. You have to ask where they are going to. There is a fixed price, it is best to ask a local man or woman first what the regular price is for your trip. If you know the price, you get in the car, and give the money when you want to go out. You can also watch what other people pay when they step out, but the price depence on the distance.

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If you like to try it, take a dokar (or andong). A dokar is less cheap than other transportation. It's not very comfortable. There are dokars for 2 passengers and andongs for 4. One person can sit next to the driver.
You agree about the price before you get in.
There are a lot of dokars standing by at the Pasar Baru, at the centre of the city.

In Padang are no becaks. They think it is not good that becakdrivers has to work so hard for the passengers. So they are forbidden. But horses are allowed.

I personally will not recommend self drive if you are driving to Bukit Tinggi from Padang. Not only the roads are narrow and winding but drivers there seem to break all rules when driving. So local drivers know best!
For a 2 year old car (Kijang Innova - Toyota) with a driver and fuel it costs Rp 650,000 per day. This allows you to go out of town to Bukit Tinggi, for example. For self drive and excluding fuel, it is Rp 250,000 cheaper.
Counter is located at Bumi Minang Hotel, Padang.

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The Minangkabau International Airport is the new airport for Padang (airport code PDG), which was opened in July 2005 replacing the old Tabing Airport.

Located at Ketaping about 25km from Padang city centre, it is the principal airport serving the West Sumatra province with regular flights within Sumatra and between Java as well as other regional cities such as Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Named after the local Minangkabau people and culture, the airport has the trademak "bullhorn" roof which is common feature in Minagkabau architecture with one terminal building for both international and domestic flights.

Among airlines that fly to this airport are Garuda Indonesia, AirAsia, Adam Air, Lion Air and Tiger Airways.

The easiest way to move around Padang is hiring a taxi. I should not be expensive since petro is quite cheap in this country; what's more, everything is barginable in this place. One thing that is different from the rest of the world is that taxi drivers her tend to help each other. For instance, if one charge USD25 per day, he might tell all other drivers next to him. Then, you really have no choice but pay USD25. Still, if you can wait and see, you can find one or so who can bear your price. It's fun to bargin and bargin, but NOT when you are in an emergency since barginning takes a lot of time.

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There is no direct flight between Padang and most of foreign cities.The easist way is from Jarkata, Medan, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. There are many flights between Jarkata and Padang per day. Air Asia poerates daily flight between KL and PDG; Tiger Airways three times a week from its base Singapore. Normal price for airfare is SGD120~130, if you are lucky enough, you might have pay only SGD50.

This old train just working on saturday and sunday only, and for tourism around padang city only....

To another city, and another province in Sumatera we can take this bus.... more bigger than city transportation....