Getting a licensed red taxi in Costa Rica just got easier: Uber has launched Uber Taxi, letting riders book the country's official taxis straight from the app. More than 300 drivers were signed up at launch, and the option appears alongside UberX, Uber XL and Uber Comfort.
The big win for passengers is upfront pricing. You'll see an estimated fare before confirming the ride, which tackles one of the most common complaints about traditional taxis. Technically, final fares still follow the official rates set by the Public Services Regulatory Authority (ARESEP), so you're riding inside the regulated system rather than around it. Both riders and drivers also get access to Uber's 40-plus built-in safety features.
Drivers had to clear a few hurdles to join: a C1 licence, a current Dekra vehicle inspection, a driver code from the Public Transportation Council and proof of insurance. Registration opened in July, and Uber says there's no cap on how many taxi drivers can sign up. One quirk to know: a taxi driver can only pick up passengers in the province matching their registered plate, so availability may vary depending on where you are.
This isn't Uber's first experiment with official taxis in the country. It started by integrating the orange airport taxis at Juan Santamaría International Airport near San José before extending the model to the wider red taxi fleet.
Demand seems real. A CID Gallup study cited by Uber found nine in 10 Costa Ricans would use a traditional taxi if they could book it through an app, and 60% named fare uncertainty as one of the biggest problems with the old system. Laura Santillán, Uber's general manager for Central America and the Caribbean, framed the move as giving passengers another option while helping taxi drivers reach more customers.
It's also a peace offering in a long-running feud. Taxi groups have repeatedly challenged ride-hailing platforms in Costa Rica, and drivers protested this month over proposals to give app-based drivers wider airport access. Whether this truce holds is an open question, though similar taxi-plus-app setups already operate elsewhere in Latin America.
Uber isn't even first to market here: DiDi has offered its DiDi Taxi service since 2023. Uber Taxi itself runs in the United States, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina and Chile.
For travellers, the practical takeaway is simple. If you'd rather avoid haggling or wondering what the meter is doing, you can now summon a regulated red taxi with a known estimated fare through an app you may already have installed. Early data suggests these taxi drivers are older on average than typical Uber drivers, so expect a fairly traditional taxi experience with modern booking on top. Just remember fares remain tied to official taxi rates, and coverage depends on drivers signing up province by province.
