Bali will launch a free electric bus service on the Trans Sarbagita Corridor I route from Monday, 9 November, the provincial government has announced, in a trial of zero-emission public transport that will run until the end of 2026.

The head of the Bali Transportation Office, I Kadek Mudarta, said in Denpasar on Sunday that passengers will be able to use the service free of charge during the trial period, although they will still need to tap an e-money card so the authorities can count passenger numbers. Staff on board will provide payment cards for passengers who do not yet have one.

The fleet of 11 electric buses belongs to the Bali Provincial Government. Ten buses will run each day, with one held as a rotating reserve. The state-owned transport company Perum DAMRI will operate the service through its Denpasar branch, under the supervision of the Bali Transportation Office.

Route links Denpasar sports hall to GWK park

The electric buses will generally follow the existing Trans Sarbagita Corridor I route, connecting the Ngurah Rai Sports Hall in Denpasar with the Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park, with some minor adjustments. Passengers will board and alight at designated stops along the way.

Leaving the sports hall, the buses will travel along Jalan Melati, turn left onto Jalan Hayam Wuruk and continue towards the Renon Roundabout, passing through the government administrative district along Jalan Raya Puputan and Jalan Sudirman before joining the regular Trans Sarbagita route. On the return journey from GWK, they will be diverted through the Renon area along Jalan Cok Agung Tresna, Jalan Moh Yamin, Jalan Raya Puputan, Jalan Hayam Wuruk, Jalan Kamboja, Jalan Angsoka and Jalan Melati, ending on Jalan Pattimura.

South Korean grant funded the fleet

The 11 buses and six charging stations were funded through a grant from the South Korean government, delivered through the Bali E-Mobility project in partnership with Indonesia's National Development Planning Ministry, known as Bappenas, and the Global Green Growth Institute. The fleet was formally launched in Denpasar in October.

"We invite the public to try this electric bus service as a safe, comfortable, inclusive, affordable, and zero-emission mobility option," Mudarta said. The Bali Transportation Office hopes the service will encourage people on the island to make public transport their main way of travelling.

The trial is part of Bali's wider clean-energy push in transport, under the province's clean energy regulation, and follows the formal handover of the buses in Renon on 22 October. If the trial succeeds, the buses are expected to become a permanent part of the Trans Sarbagita network, with fares to be introduced once the vehicles are registered as public transport.