Uber in Barcelona

Anyone used Uber from airport to las Ramblas? If so how much was the ride?

Anyone used Uber from airport to las Ramblas? If so how much was the ride?

I do not know the status, but I think UBER has been shut down in all of Spain. There were taxi driver protests last summer and they got somewhat violent at times and a temporary injunction was placed on the use of any such services. I think it was made permanent from the beginning of the year.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/12/31/uber-suspends-operations-in-spain/?_r=0

A new private car system that is legal has opened in Madrid, but I do not know about Barcelona. I think the new service is similar to systems that have existed for businesses in London for years.

Not surprised that the Spanish taxi drivers would be very vocal over Uber. Their fear of honest drivers would be enough to cause them apoplexy. We have run into dishonest taxi drivers in many countries (including the US) but in Spain we are shocked when we find an honest driver. Knowing the routes and meter codes (they have different codes for day, night, luggage, etc) has enabled us to usually thwart taxi scams....but even we have been burned.

Hank

Not surprised that the Spanish taxi drivers would be very vocal over Uber. Their fear of honest drivers would be enough to cause them apoplexy. We have run into dishonest taxi drivers in many countries (including the US) but in Spain we are shocked when we find an honest driver. Knowing the routes and meter codes (they have different codes for day, night, luggage, etc) has enabled us to usually thwart taxi scams....but even we have been burned.

 

Hank

Can u elaborate on the codes. Also, do you have a current approx. cost of what it would cost from the airport to the top of the Las Ramblas?

You can get a quote of expected point to point taxi fares for major cities at worldtaximeter.com.

Not surprised that the Spanish taxi drivers would be very vocal over Uber. Their fear of honest drivers would be enough to cause them apoplexy. We have run into dishonest taxi drivers in many countries (including the US) but in Spain we are shocked when we find an honest driver. Knowing the routes and meter codes (they have different codes for day, night, luggage, etc) has enabled us to usually thwart taxi scams....but even we have been burned.

 

Hank

This issue is far too complex to hash out in this thread about Uber. The taxi business in Spain is very heavily regulated.

In Andulucia all fares are set fixed prices between one destination and the other.

Taxi rates in Barcelona and Madrid are exceptionally clear.

Madrid is much better now, since they have the set rate from the airport to anywhere in the city, but occasionally you would get a couple of euro padding on a long route.

While an occasional attempt might be made on a tourist, issues with taxis are rare from my experience in Spain.

Now, Lisbon on the other hand is somewhat of another story.

Can u elaborate on the codes. Also, do you have a current approx. cost of what it would cost from the airport to the top of the Las Ramblas?

About $35 Euros. :)

We smile when we hear about the "regulation" of taxis in Spain. Yes, they are theoretically regulated with inspected taxi meters and government approved fares. But too many taxi drivers have their own ideas about regulations (this seems to be a common problem in many parts of the world). The meters in Barcelona taxis have sophisticated meters with code options that allow for different rates. For example, if the driver punches the button for Code "1" this might be the normal daytime fare. But if the driver puts in Code "2" it might be a substantially higher night fare. And then there is a button they can push to add Euros for extra luggage (this is part of their fare structure and allowed). But if a driver hits the button for 8 pieces of luggage (when you have only 1 piece the meter will show a higher fare at the end of your trip. The last time we took a taxi from the airport the driver punched in 6 bags when we only had 2. He assumed we would not notice (most folks would have no clue as to what happened). I said nothing until we arrived at the port and then told the driver I was going to get a nearby policeman to discuss the meter. Our driver quickly agreed to accept a lower amount of Euros :).

Hank

As I stated, hashing out taxi situations in a thread here is going to be a matter of opinion.

Unscrupulous taxi drivers can be a problem anywhere but to make a statement that Spain would be any more known for this than anywhere else will be strongly contested by others.

I am not Spanish, but have spent an exceptional amount of time there over the past 30 years.

I have visited Barcelona over 50 times and take frequent taxis and have found the drivers to be extremely professional and have never had a problem.

Taxi fare 1,2, 3 or 4 is visible on the exterior of the taxi and if police visualize any fare showing on the top of the cab outside that allotted time the drivers face serious fines.

If a driver adds a supplement just ask for the printed receipt and that should take care of that problem.

For me to state that there is never an incident would be incorrect as I have had 3 incidents in Madrid out of the likely 400+ taxis I have taken over the past 10 years. These have been stupid incidents as the driver took a longer route and added a couple of Euros. Madrid now has a 30 euro fixed rate from the airport to city with no supplements allowed.

Taxi regulations vary by each autonomous region in Spain and I hope that Barcelona follow suit with Madrid.

While I sometimes feel the rates in Malaga/Andulucia are a bit steep, the fares are set in that region and there is no question as to the fare for each journey as it is standard from point A to point B.

There's the Aerobus from the airport to the top of La Rambla for €5; hard to beat.

I highly recommend resorthoppa.com for transfers. From the airport to the cruise port, which is at one end of Las Ramblas, it's $11 per person. They will also drop at hotels. We used them last Friday from the dock to the airport.

Just checking back to hear if anyone has used Uber recently in Barcelona or are they still shut out?

UBER in Spain has 're-branded' themselves as a food delivery service only at this point, UBER-Eats.

http://www.engadget.com/2015/02/20/uber-eats-food-delivery-barcelona-spain/

Make other plans for transport if visiting Spain.

We smile when we hear about the "regulation" of taxis in Spain. Yes, they are theoretically regulated with inspected taxi meters and government approved fares. But too many taxi drivers have their own ideas about regulations (this seems to be a common problem in many parts of the world). The meters in Barcelona taxis have sophisticated meters with code options that allow for different rates. For example, if the driver punches the button for Code "1" this might be the normal daytime fare. But if the driver puts in Code "2" it might be a substantially higher night fare. And then there is a button they can push to add Euros for extra luggage (this is part of their fare structure and allowed). But if a driver hits the button for 8 pieces of luggage (when you have only 1 piece the meter will show a higher fare at the end of your trip. The last time we took a taxi from the airport the driver punched in 6 bags when we only had 2. He assumed we would not notice (most folks would have no clue as to what happened). I said nothing until we arrived at the port and then told the driver I was going to get a nearby policeman to discuss the meter. Our driver quickly agreed to accept a lower amount of Euros :).

 

Hank

Awesome info! Do you know if they charge per person for the taxi? for example we are 4 adults with 2 handluggages and 3 big checked bags. When I went on world taxi meter it said about 28 euros. But I'm wondering if this number is only for 1 person and then bags will be added to this number of course. Going on Epic in August from Barcelona.