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Complete Guide to Using Uber in Colombia

There is Uber in Colombia, but only in larger cities like Bogota and Cartagena. You cannot take Uber from any of the airports in Colombia. There is Uber in Colombia. It’s generally safe to use, available in most major cities, and inexpensive compared to other transit options. 

✔️ Uber in Colombia Quick Guide 

  • 📲 Is Uber Legal in Colombia? Uber operates in a legal gray area in Colombia and much of Latin America. It’s a commonly used service but not completely legal.
  • ✈️ From the Airports: You can take Uber directly from most international airport terminals in Italy. The service might not be as readily available at smaller domestic airports.
  • 🗺️ Where is it Available? You can use Uber in Colombia in most major cities like Cartagena and Bogota, but not directly from the airport terminal. It’s also not available in rural areas, and on the islands.
  • 🚕 Taxis Vs. Uber: I would not recommend taking traditional taxis in Colombia unless you do not have any other option, because they do not have a good reputation with tourists and are less safe than using a tracked transportation service, like Uber, Cabify, or Didi. 

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✈️ Airport Transfer Service

Tourists are constantly getting scammed by taxi drivers at the airports in Colombia, so I recommend taking a private shuttle service from the airport to your hotel

My Top Tips for Taking Uber in Colombia 

✔️ Your Uber driver might ask you to sit in the front seat, to fend off unwanted attention from law enforcement in case there’s another crackdown on Uber drivers. 

✔️ I wouldn’t recommend trying to take an Uber from the airport. Taxi laws are the most strictly observed at airports in Colombia. 

✔️ Don’t slam your car doors! Making even a little bit of noise when you shut a car door in Colombia is considered very rude. 

Is Uber Legal in Colombia? 

After Uber was briefly banned in 2020 in Colombia it has come back, and is now stronger than ever! Millions of people use Uber and other ride-hailing apps in Colombia every year. 

Uber has operated in a legal gray area in Colombia for many years. In 2020 there was a lawsuit against Uber operating in Colombia, mainly propositioned by traditional taxi companies who felt cheated that they had to comply with licensing rules and Uber drivers didn’t. In 2020 Uber lost the lawsuit in Colombia and was ordered to cease all operations. This was no small task because at the time Uber had almost 100,000 drivers in Colombia! 

Now, even though Uber is technically “illegal” in Colombia it’s still available in all major cities – this is because Uber is using a loophole in the ruling. 

Uber in Colombia operates exactly like Uber everywhere else, but you’re technically not calling taxis when you use Uber in Colombia. Instead, you’re renting a car and a private driver for the duration of your trip. This skirts the legality of the issue because using ride-hailing apps in Colombia is illegal, but using apps to rent a car – regardless of whether that car comes with a driver – is not. 

A story from a tourist who was harassed by police officers after trying to take Uber to the airport in Colombia
Colombian travel horror story from TripAdvisor.com user Gueratraveler. 

Is Uber Safe in Colombia? 

Using Uber in Colombia is a safe transportation option. At least, safer than taking traditional taxis off the street, because Uber has GPS tracking. I used Uber in Colombia extensively, and I believe it to be a safe option. I would say using Uber or another taxi-hailing app is actually safer than calling traditional taxis in Colombia. As a female traveler, I always use Uber or other ride-hailing apps instead of traditional taxis when I can. This is because Uber has safety features built in, which in my opinion, makes them a lot safer to use than hailing a random car off the street. 

Another added safety bonus for Uber is that there’s a record of your ride, and who your driver was. Colombia has a bad reputation for small-scale robberies and pickpockets. Using Uber or a pre-arranged car service and having a paper trail for your ride drastically cuts down on the risk that you will be scammed or robbed by your taxi driver. 

✅ Always take a picture of your Uber driver’s license plate (and make sure they see that you took a picture!). 

✅ Use Uber’s “share-ride” feature to share your trip with your emergency contacts in live time. 

✅ Ask your Uber driver for your name before getting in the car. Some taxis will pretend to be your Uber driver because they just want some work. 

✅ Get a local Colombian SIM card so you have data during your trip in case you need to call someone. 

✅ You can download a map of your city offline on Google Maps so you can track your trip even if you don’t have signal. 

Other Ride-Hailing Apps in Colombia: Cabify, Didi, EasyTaxi

Cabify is an alternative to the Uber app in Colombia.

Cabify/EasyTaxi

The app EasyTaxi has recently been bought by Cabify, so now they’re one and the same. Cabify is great for foreigners in Colombia who want to take traditional taxis because it helps bypass the language barrier if you don’t know any Spanish. The app calculates the estimated metered fare for a trip and then calls an official taxi to your location. 

The Didi app, which is an alternative to Uber in Colombia.

Didi

Didi is essentially the Chinese version of Uber. Didi has expanded to a few different countries over the last few years, and they were able to get a foothold in Colombia while Uber was going through legal troubles with the government in 2020. I have used Didi in Latin America a few times, and I found it to be reliable just like Uber is. 

There used to be UberEats in Colombia but it’s shut down in the country. Instead of UberEats you can use the Colombian food delivery app, Rappi. I used Rappi all over Latin America, it’s just like GrubHub or Seamless in the United States. 💡 Tip: If you don’t have a Colombian credit card, you might have to pay for your Rappi.com orders in cash. 

Ubers and taxis are supposed to be the same price in Colombia – and in Medellin and Bogota where taxis use meters, they are very similarly priced. However outside of those two cities where taxis have to use meters, Uber will usually be cheaper than taxis. This is because taxi drivers have a tendency to overcharge foreigners in Colombia if the trips aren’t metered.

Is There Uber In Cartagena, Colombia?

The good news is there is Uber in Cartagena, Colombia. You’ll want to use Uber whenever possible in Cartagena because unlike in Bogota and Medellin, traditional taxis in Cartagena don’t have to use meters – and they have a reputation for ripping off tourists! 

There IS public transportation in Cartagena – but most tourists choose to use Uber or just walk. Cartagena does not have a metro system, but it does have a comprehensive public bus called the Transcaribe. Cartagena is very walkable in the old town where most tourists are, so between walking and using Ubers (which are just a few dollars per ride) there’s not much of a reason to use public transportation as a tourist in Cartagena. 

🌋 The Totumo Mud Volcano was the coolest thing I did in Colombia

When I was in Cartagena earlier this year I got around the city by using Uber or walking, and then when I wanted to do an activity I took a guided tour. This is how I recommend everyone travel in Colombia unless they want to go off the beaten path – it’s a lot cheaper and easier to see the city by taking advantage of the transportation offered through tour services than renting a car and going it alone. 

By taking tours you can see some of the most amazing sights the city has to offer easily and cheaply, you can climb the 🌋 Totumo Mud Volcano (my favorite activity in Cartagena), go on a 🛳 sunset boat tour of Cartagena Bay, and visit Cartagena’s famous 🏝 Playa Blanca beach. Explore more of the coolest activities in Cartagena by clicking below ⤵

The one place you shouldn’t use Uber in Cartagena is coming from the airport. There have been a ton of horror stories online from people who tried to use ride-hailing apps or got scammed by taxi drivers coming from the airport. I recommend arranging airport transport ahead of time if you’re planning a trip to Colombia. The most hassle-free transportation option from Cartagena Airport to your hotel which I recommend is a private car service.

Is There Uber In Medellin, Colombia?

Uber in Medellin is fast and reliable – it’s also similarly priced to the standard taxis because all taxis in Medellin have to use meters. Medellin is another huge city in Colombia with an extensive transportation network. In Medellin, you have the option to use Uber, other ride-hailing apps, metered taxis, and a metro system to get around the city. 

That being said, I would still recommend using Ubers over metered taxis in Medellin as a tourist, because Ubers have additional safety measures like ride-tracking features that make it a little bit safer. 

You can easily get around in Medellin by taking the Metro, or calling Uber taxis within the city, but the most iconic sights in Medellin are outside the city center.

Climbing Guatape Rock is the most famous activity you can do in all of Colombia
🚁 Climbing Guatape Rock is the most famous activity you can do in all of Colombia

If you want to visit some of the famous sights in Medellin, like climbing the astounding 🏞 Guatapé Rock, or visiting one of Colombia’s world-renown ☕️ coffee farms, you will have to leave the city and go to the countryside. Because of the road conditions in the Colombian countryside, and the kinda expensive cost of rental cars in Colombia, taking tours is definitely the easiest and cheapest way to see these sights. Explore more of the coolest activities in Medellin by clicking below ⤵

Bogota, Colombia (Photo via Canva)

Is There Uber In Bogota, Colombia?

Bogota is both the capital city in Colombia and the largest, and it has Uber available as well as a bunch of other transit options. Uber is easy to use in Bogota, and safer than traditional taxis. Just like with Medellin, the only place I wouldn’t recommend trying to take Uber in Bogota is to or from the airport.

Bogota and Medellin are the two largest cities in Colombia – just like in Medellin, Bogota has an extensive transportation system you can use to get around within the city. Bogota doesn’t currently have a metro system, but it does have a large network of public buses called TransMilenio. Also just like in Medellin, you’ll always want to keep valuables in a cross-body bag or 💰 money belt because there’s a huge pickpocketing problem on the buses in Bogota.

💡 Tip: Bogota is currently developing its own Metro system, but it’s not scheduled to be completed until 2028! 

⛪️ The most famous thing to do in Bogota is visit La Candelaria and Monserrate Monastery

While there are many different transit options within the city of Bogota, it’s more difficult to take trips outside of the city center. Just like with Medellin, some of the coolest things to do in Bogota, like the holy town of ⛪️ Monserrate, the famous 🧂 Salt Cathedral, or 🏞 Guatavita Lagoon, actually aren’t within the city at all – so to reach them cheaply and easily I recommend taking tours! Explore more of the coolest activities in Bogota by clicking below ⤵

2 Comments

  1. Hello,
    Thank you for this information. I do have a question:
    If I plan to use my U.S. Android phone in Colombia only to call for Uber rides from the hotel and back from museums, bars, or restaurants back to the hotel, do I need to purchase a Colombian sim card? Will be regular sim card do this job fine without purchasing a new card? Thank you.

    1. Katie Caf says:

      Hello Neil! It will work better with a Colombian SIM, only because you will have cellular data everywhere, but you should be able to use Uber in Colombia with a foreign SIM as well, as long as you have an active number to receive calls on and cellular data.

      I know some people tried to use Uber strictly off of Wifi, with their phones on airplane mode, and that did not work because they needed to be able to receive a call from their driver.
      Hope this helps
      – Katie

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