Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Getting around Yogyakarta

How to travel around Yogyakarta — 5 options, what they cost, and which booking apps fix the fare before you go.

Last updated 2026-08-11

1. Gojek and Grab

Both work well; motorbike hailing is the fastest way across the city.

2. TransJogja

The city bus network on fixed corridors, cheap and air-conditioned.

Cost: IDR 3,600

3. Scooter hire

Widely available; an international permit is legally required and police do check.

Watch outRoadside stops for riders without an international permit, resolved with an on-the-spot payment.

4. Trains to Jakarta and Surabaya

Yogyakarta is on the main Java line, and executive class is comfortable and cheap.

5. YIA airport transfer

The new airport is 40km west — around an hour by road, or by the airport rail link.

Tip: The rail link is far more predictable than the road at peak times.

Booking apps in Indonesia

Agreeing the fare in an app before you travel removes the argument at the end of the journey, which is where most transport scams happen. Links go to each app's official page — lookalike apps are themselves a scam.

Gojek

Indonesian super-app: motorbike and car rides, food, payments and deliveries.

Coverage: Nationwide, strongest in Java and Bali.
Why it helps: Fare is agreed in the app before the trip, and the route is recorded — which removes the refused meter, the tampered meter and the fixed 'foreigner price' in one move.

Grab

The main alternative to Gojek, with essentially the same service mix.

Coverage: Nationwide.
Why it helps: Fare is agreed in the app before the trip, and the route is recorded — which removes the refused meter, the tampered meter and the fixed 'foreigner price' in one move.

Bluebird

Long-established metered taxi operator with its own booking app.

Coverage: Jakarta, Bali and other large cities.
Why it helps: A licensed metered fleet, which avoids the unmarked cars and modified meters that operate around airports.

Traveloka

Books trains, flights, ferries and intercity buses across the archipelago.

Coverage: Nationwide.