T

he central government has approved a proposal to make the under-construction Mengwi bus terminal in Badung regency the main land-based transportation terminal on the island, replacing Ubung terminal in Denpasar.

This means that as soon as the new bus terminal is complete, all inter-city and inter-province buses will connect to Bali via Mengwi terminal.

Mengwi terminal is located next to Beringkit market, the biggest cattle market in Bali, and is 20 kilometers away from Denpasar. Built on an 11-hectare plot of land, the terminal will be equipped with various support facilities, including departure and arrival terminals, lodging for drivers, ticket counters, canteens and waiting rooms. Aside from accommodating big buses, it will also accommodate minibuses, taxis and tourist buses.

According to the head of the Badung transportation office, I Made Sutama, the new terminal will be able to accommodate 60 inter-city buses, 75 minibuses, 50 public vans, 20 taxis and 15 tourist buses.

The terminal’s parking area will be able to accommodate 50 cars and 200 motorcycles, while the waiting areas will have a capacity of 500 people.

Sutama said that the new bus terminal would undergo trials in the third week of January. His office, in cooperation with representatives from the central and Bali provincial administrations, is informing related companies and the public, especially those in Denpasar, about the new terminal. He explained that the trials would last for two months. “The two-month trials are expected to enable us to see shortcomings so that we can improve them before the official launch,” he said.

Head of the Bali Land Transportation Business Owners (Organda), Ketut Eddy Darma Putra, said that the new terminal would be more spacious, convenient and secure.

“This should not just be a location change. It should be much better [than the previous terminal]. Don’t just let middlemen operate there. The management of the new terminal has to pay great attention to its cleanliness and security,” he said.

Eddy said he hoped that the terminal’s management would offer online scheduling and vehicle registration systems similar to those used at Bungurasih bus terminal in Surabaya, East Java.

“There, the number of vehicles, capacity and other data can automatically be seen on the screen whenever vehicles enter the terminal compound. This is very good and transparent,” he said.

If all these requirements are met, Eddy said, he would be confident that a larger number of people, including domestic and foreign tourists, would be willing to travel to and from Bali by land.

“This can also be used as a tool to attract more tourists, especially because not all people, especially those in the lower-income brackets, have the capability to go to Bali by air,” he said, adding that at least 50 inter-city and inter-province bus operators were now operating in Bali.

Meanwhile, the head of the Denpasar transportation office, I Gede Astika, said that his office would continue to operate Ubung terminal.

“We will definitely continue to use it as a transit terminal. Alternatives for other uses are still being discussed with other related agencies at the Denpasar administration,” he said.

Astika said that there would likely be a substantial drop in activity at Ubung terminal and its surrounding areas following the opening of the new terminal. This, he added, would almost certainly impact the businesses of local traders, especially food and souvenir sellers.

The opening of Mengwi bus terminal is also projected to affect Denpasar’s locally generated income, especially from levy collection.