Two Taxi Drivers Assaulted While Picking Up Passengers in Mandalika

Two online taxi drivers have been assaulted by a group of unidentified individuals while attempting to pick up passengers in the Mandalika Special Economic Zone (KEK), Kuta Village, Pujut District, Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB). The perpetrators are suspected to be local travel drivers from the area.

Mandalika Police Chief AKP I Ketut Artana confirmed that the first incident was experienced by Blue Bird taxi driver Ridwan Daeng Djenawa on Sunday (12/7). The assault occurred when Ridwan was picking up a passenger at the Novotel Mandalika hotel. “That’s correct, there was a report. It was reported on 16 July 2026, or the taxi driver reported it to the police station that very day,” Artana told detikBali on Wednesday (15/7/2026).

Based on information received, the incident took place around 3.30pm local time. The victim had received an order via an app to transport a passenger to the Mandalika Circuit. Around 4.15pm, the victim arrived at the hotel lobby to wait for the guest. Suddenly, the victim was approached and confronted by a person suspected of being a local driver, leading to an argument. Hotel security officers asked them not to cause a disturbance as it would disrupt other guests. Upon reaching the area outside the hotel gate, the victim was assaulted with a blunt object, resulting in a bleeding nose.

Artana explained that local travel drivers had a prior agreement prohibiting outside online taxis from picking up guests within the Mandalika area. Drivers from outside Mandalika are only permitted to drop off guests at the tourist destination. According to Artana, the victim was unaware of this agreement and had already accepted the passenger order via the app. “This driver had already accepted the order. If he cancels, his rating will drop,” he added.

Artana believes this issue should be re-regulated to prevent misunderstandings between drivers in the region. He stressed the importance of this to avoid similar incidents in the future. “It is very unfortunate, if it can be resolved through communication, why should there be an assault,” Artana said.

However, a similar incident occurred again this morning in front of the Mandalika Circuit. Artana confirmed that a report has been received and an investigation is underway. “We have received the report from the victim, conducted an external medical examination, and are following up on the report with an investigation,” he stated. Artana assured that the case will be handled transparently and objectively. “We at the police station will respond to the report in accordance with standard operating procedures,” he concluded.