How should travellers get around Indonesia?
Indonesia has no single transport answer. Use drivers and apps where they work, flights when distance gets serious, ferries only with timing margin, and scooters only when the risk makes sense.
Answer
Getting around Indonesia is less about choosing the “local” option and more about protecting the trip. Private drivers make sense in parts of Bali and Java when traffic, temples and scattered stops would otherwise eat the day. Domestic flights are often the practical answer for bigger jumps. Ferries can be useful, but sea conditions, schedules and port logistics need margin. Ride-hailing apps can make urban and tourist-zone movement easier where available. Scooters are freedom for some travellers and a bad idea for others. The mistake is applying one transport rule to an archipelago. Indonesia is island by island, route by route.