Tourists threatened by Bali taxi driver with ‘knife’ in row over fare

Sign as much as Simon Calder’s free journey electronic mail for professional recommendation and money-saving reductions

Get Simon Calder’s Travel electronic mail

A taxi driver in Bali refused to let vacationers go away his automobile and threatened them with a weapon whereas asking for extra money, stunning video footage has revealed.

The three-minute footage clip by one of many guests to the Indonesian island exhibits them pleading with the driver to depart the automobile and asking to talk to police.

While one of many ladies politely asks the person to “let us out, please” and states that he must allow them to go away, he will be heard repeatedly saying “no”. They declare he didn’t even take them to the place they requested to go.

The pair had been American vacationers and had been travelling via Kuta, a well-liked seaside resort in the south of the island, reviewsYahoo News. They provided the driver 50,000 Indonesian Rupiah, which is round £2.50, for the fare however he insisted on $50 (£39.29).

One of the vacationers threatens to name the police and bangs on the window of the automobile, at which level the driver seems to strike the ladies a variety of instances. He then reaches for one thing, which the ladies declare was a knife, and makes a collection of throat-cutting gestures.

At this level one of many passengers urges the opposite to “just give him whatever you have” – although he nonetheless calls for extra.

After unlocking the automobile doorways, the pair flee the automobile whereas screaming, flagging down a passerby whereas nonetheless filming. They will be heard telling someone on the pavement that the “taxi driver just threatened us with a knife.”

The Independent has contacted the Indonesian National Police for additional info.

The taxi driver has been arrested and is predicted to be charged with “extortion and threat”, which carries a most sentence of 10 years in jail, reviews VnExpress.

More than 4 million vacationers visited Bali in 2023, the newest figures from Bali Central Bureau of Statistics present.