DENPASAR ~ Illegal transport companies operating in Bali now outnumber legal ones, an official said.

“The illegal companies have no permit to pick up or transport tourists. We are worried their existence could instigate a fare war and cause legal companies to suffer,” chief of the Regional Consultative Council IK Eddy Dharma Putra said.

According to him, the directorate general of the Transportation Ministry agreed to issue permits to 2,000 travel companies in Bali, and 2,000 in Java, to ensure public transportation vehicles still had business.

Chief of the Transportation Department IB Parsa said his team routinely ran inspections, especially at Gilimanuk Harbor, to keep the number of illegal transportation companies down.

He said that besides targeting illegal transport agents, they also inspected private vehicles used to transport tourists.

“Nowadays, tourism is suffering because of the global economic crisis, so we must work towards preventing it being harmed any further by illegal tourism-reliant companies,” he said.