Can You Use Uber in Cartagena, Colombia? – Tips for Cartagena Ubers

If you’re currently planning a trip to Cartagena, Colombia you might be asking yourself, “What’s the best way to get around?”

While I tended to stick to taxis when I lived from 2011 to 2022 in Cartagena, Uber is an increasingly popular option in Cartagena and just about everywhere else in the world.

I understand why.

In my time living in Cartagena, dealing with taxis overcharging and having to almost always negotiate and make sure I agreed to price before getting in was indeed frustrating.

Taking a Cartagena Uber or using another ride share app takes that out of the equation. It’s also easier, especially if you don’t speak much Spanish. So, if you already use Uber or even if you would just like to use it during your trip, it’s a good alternative to taxis.

In this post, I’ll go over a bit of what to expect if using Uber in Cartagena, Colombia, talk about the legal issues surrounding Uber in Colombia, and discuss a few alternatives to using a Cartagena Uber. So read on to learn all about using Uber in Cartagena to get around.

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Is Uber Legal in Cartagena?

So, let’s get this question out of the way first.

Yes, Uber is legal in Cartagena and the rest of Colombia.

You may have heard Uber was illegal in Colombia.

That’s because Uber did, in fact, exist sort of a legal gray area and was at one point outright banned in Colombia in 2019.

While I’m not a legal expert, my understanding is the main issue was that normal taxis have to have licenses from the government, which can be expensive to acquire, especially since many of them are controlled by a small number of people. There is also a fairly powerful taxi union and lobby. This isn’t unlike the issues Uber has faced elsewhere like in New York City.

Uber had essentially circumvented these requirements (and still do in a sense).

This, not surprisingly, upset some taxi drivers and there were a few high profile instances of taxi drivers protesting and even harassing Uber drivers and passengers (although those were in Bogotá and I’m unaware of any such incidents in Cartagena).

You also often had to do things like ride in the front seat and drivers would ask you to say you were a friend instead of a paying passenger.

I remember a few times having to get out of Ubers in Bogotá away from the airport gate to avoid police, for example.

The Colombian Supreme Court confirmed Uber could continue to operate in Colombia in an October 2023 decision you can read about in Spanish here. The decision basically concluded that the initial complaint against Uber took place after the statue of limitations passed.

That I guess does leave open the possibility that some future kind of legislation or other regulation could change things, but for the time being, Uber operates legally in Colombia and given its popularity I would suspect that will remain the case even if some kind of regulation on how drivers obtain licenses is introduced at some point in the future.

So, Uber is perfectly legal now, although many taxi drivers still feel it is an unfair competitor.

Legal debate aside, you should feel perfectly comfortable using Uber in Cartagena if you like, and you shouldn’t have to worry about sitting in the front seat or being stopped by police anymore.

Alternatives to Uber in Cartagena

As I mentioned at the start, I tended to just stick to taxis in my time living in Cartagena.

This was in part due to the legal gray area as well as my doubts about Uber as company, but it was mostly just because taxis were easier. They are plentiful and easy to flag down, and you rarely have to wait.

There also weren’t a ton of Cartagena Ubers until the last few years, even while the service had grown quite a bit in other cities in Colombia, especially Bogotá.

I also am maybe just partial to a time before we did just about everything on our phones. That by the way, one of the disadvantages of Uber. You’ll need access to WiFi or data on your phone to use it. WiFi is available in lots of public places like restaurants in Cartagena, but unless you’ve paid for roaming data on your phone, it might be a bit harder to get out on the street.

All that said, the honest truth is that taxi drivers in Cartagena have acquired a not exactly undeserving reputation for overcharging. There aren’t taxi meters in Cartagena, and it’s not uncommon for taxis to attempt to overcharge even locals, much less foreign tourists.

So, while I think taxis are a fine alternative to using Uber in Cartagena, you need to make sure that, first, you always agree to price when getting in the car and that you know the correct prices to make sure you aren’t overcharged.

You can see the current legally established taxi fares in my guide to taxis in Cartagena.

When I did use a ride share app on my phone in Cartagena, I tended to use InDriver, which until the growth of Uber the last few years, had many more cars available in Cartagena. It is still a good option, and most of the drivers on InDriver are in officially licensed yellow taxis.

InDriver gives you a suggested fare and you can adjust it up or down (but probably up) until a driver agrees to it. So, like Uber, you’ll know the fare when you get in to the car.

I would still personally prefer InDriver to Uber, but like I said above, if you already use Uber, it’s a fine option that should give you similar prices to regular taxis and InDriver.

Finally, you can also contract private transportation services. These can be especially useful if you’re a group of 3+ since they usually use SUVs and not the tiny sedans most taxis and Ubers in Cartagena use.

If you’re interested in this, consider booking with my partner travel agency. You can see their private transportation options here and get a 20% discount on any of them as well as any of the tours listed on their site with the code ExploreColombia20.

Also, if you’re interested in a tailor made trip, they also offer fully customizable planning that includes every part of your trip starting with airport pickup. You can learn more about this service and start an inquiry with one of their agents here.

Tips on Taking a Cartagena Uber

Really, I don’t have a lot of tips for Cartagena Ubers beyond the same tips that would apply anywhere.

While Cartagena is extremely safe in the main tourist areas (see my Cartagena safety tips here), it’s still wise to not be fiddling with your phone too much on the street, especially at night.

So, call for your Uber from inside the bar, restaurant, hotel, or wherever else you are first. To me, this is one of the big advantages of using Uber or other ride share apps, especially if you are solo, since you don’t have to worry about being out on the street flagging down taxis.

It’s generally considered best practice to pay in cash rather than with your card too. That’s because a small minority, but some Uber drivers, may try to pass off fares as complete when they never picked you up. While I don’t think you have to worry too much about that, if you’ve got cash, better just to use it.

Finally, keep in mind Uber does apply dynamic pricing. I’ll cover below the kinds of prices to expect to pay, but if you’re getting higher than expected rates, it might be worth stopping a taxi and seeing if they give you a better price, or at least checking on InDriver too.

Expected Prices for Ubers in Cartagena

Another reason I tended to avoid Uber is that it rarely would actually save me any money as long as I made sure I got the correct price from taxis.

The 2024 minimum fare for taxis in Cartagena is $9,800 pesos, so really $10,000 pesos in practice. I would expect to pay $10-15,000 for most Ubers around the main tourist areas of Cartagena.

You’ll pay a bit more to be picked up from or taken to the airport (see my guide to the Cartagena airport here by the way), but that’s the same with regular taxis too.

You’ll also probably pay a bit more at night. The official taxi surcharge for night time fares (known as the recargo nocturno) is $900 pesos in addition to the normal price, so tack on $1-2,000 extra to what you might pay during the day for an Uber at night in Cartagena.

Oh, also I should mention, it’s generally not expected that you tip taxi drivers in Cartagena.

Since I was never really in the habit of using Uber in Cartagena, I’m honestly not sure what is expected in that case. I’m assuming from my experience using Uber in the US that you’re given the prompt to tip, at least if you’re paying with a card, so I would probably just do it. For what it’s worth, this is in my opinion another good reason to use InDriver instead of Uber. If you’re following the best practice to pay with cash, you should be fine not tipping though. Of course, I’m sure the driver would appreciate it if you did tip too.

Will you user Uber in Cartagena?

There you have it, a complete guide to using Uber in Cartagena.

My honest opinion is that if you already use Uber frequently and are more comfortable using it rather than having to worry about negotiating taxi prices, go ahead and use it in Cartagena.

I wouldn’t download the app just for your trip though, and you should feel perfectly safe using taxis if you don’t use Uber normally or don’t have access to internet on your phone. Just make sure you agree to price and have a good idea of what to expect price wise (again you can see the current Cartagena taxi prices here).

Whether you use Uber or not, I hope you found this post helpful, and I hope you’ll check out all the other content on the site to help you plan your trip to Cartagena. Most importantly, I hope you have a wonderful time!

Cheers and Happy Exploring!