Unlicensed Travel Operations to Be Cracked Down on to Address Traffic Congestion in Nusa Penida

Klungkung Regent I Made Satria will soon regulate travel businesses in Nusa Penida that lack route permits. This regulation is aimed at addressing the congestion that often occurs during peak tourist seasons.

Satria revealed that the local government has conducted several studies on handling congestion in Nusa Penida. The studies found numerous tourism vehicles operating without official permits.

“We have conducted studies to reduce congestion. In particular, this concerns licensing. Almost the majority of vehicles used for tourism activities are unlicensed. We will regulate that,” Satria stated to the media on Monday (11/5/2026).

As a follow-up to these findings, Satria said he has coordinated with the Klungkung Police Resort for the crackdown.

“And the Chief of Police has approved it. So in May, we will visit Nusa Penida to directly assess the situation,” Satria added.

The politician from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) also urged drivers and tourism business operators in the travel accommodation sector to prepare.

“Of course, we will conduct socialisation for drivers in Nusa Penida to prepare. It won’t be sudden raids,” he explained.

Separately, Ni Wayan Sirat, a Junior Expert in Licensing at the Klungkung Investment and One-Stop Integrated Services Agency (DPMPTSP), explained that to date, they have not compiled data on travel operation permits in Nusa Penida. This is because such businesses fall into the low-risk category under the Online Single Submission (OSS) system, which can be processed directly without recommendations from related regional agencies.

Nevertheless, they still have the authority to conduct monitoring and evaluation.

“If the data is available, we can also check it. How many have permits in OSS. However, we haven’t processed it yet. Additionally, related agencies can also perform monitoring and evaluation. In this case, the tourism or transportation department,” Sirat clarified.

Previously, the Nusa Penida tourist area experienced a significant surge in tourist visits. This situation triggered long queues of vehicles at several fuel stations, even causing congestion on Tuesday (5/5/2026).

The vehicle queues were dominated by tourism transport cars lining up and encroaching on the road. The worst density occurred at three main points, namely the Batumulapan Premium and Diesel Oil Agent (APMS), Sental APMS, and the Banjar Nyuh petrol station.