Batam may seem small but because the shopping areas and food places are quite a distant from one another, people living in Batam moves about in motorbikes and cars. Public transport system literally means only taxis, as there are hardly any public buses available.
Our Batam trip as you may read so far, has been an interesting and eye opening experience for us. If you are like us, new to Batam, I believe the taxi ride is definitely not for the faint hearted. The traffic is chaotic and the taxi drivers (legal and illegal) are very aggressive. They swerve in and out of the traffic.
Our entire trip depended on taxis and walking around. Somehow I simply couldn't find a reliable map of Batam which was quite disappointing as we had to rely on the taxi drivers' mercy. Though I must say that bargaining with them was a lot easier than bargaining for a taxi ride in Kuala Lumpur city. That's a relief! Of course, the taxi ride nevertheless was not so expensive. Of course, you would like to bargain as the less you spend for your holiday, the better.
For every taxi ride in Batam, I was always seated in the front seat as I was the one who would settle the bill. So, my advise....remember to bring small change or you would regret it. If you do not have any small change with you, take the extra effort to change for smaller notes. Best is change for Rp. 10,000s and Rp. 20,000s are the best for taxi rides. They tend to claim they have no change when you give them a big note.
By the way, the average Batam taxi ride should not cost more than Rp. 60,000 and that's a lot! Unless you have no other option then you just have to pay. If you like to be on the safe side, try to get an honest taxi driver and hire him for the day or two. Just make sure you work out the taxi ride rates with him before hand.
Hope this information will help other travellers out when you head to Batam.
