horse glasses

I can't find anything recent on if Uber is in BUD. Is this a good option from the airport?

Prospero

I've moved this thread over to the Europe destinations forum. I hope your question will find enlightenment here.

Prospero
Senior Moderator

elizabethbrown

I was just in Budapest (yesterday!). Although I did not use Uber, I spoke to a local about it (a knowledgable professional tour guide). She said Uber is definitely there but because it's not regulated at all, locals don't trust it. You run the risk you'd run using any sketchy unlicensed taxi in a place like Budapest—unreasonable extra fees, dangerous drivers, unsafe vehicles, etc. You should never hail a cab from the street, but rather call one of the licensed taxi companies. Any hotel concierge, even if you are just off the street and not staying at that hotel, should help you call a taxi. I found Fötaxi to be the best: clean cars, professional drivers who spoke English very well.

xichang08

Uber is present in Budapest. I have never used them here but I follow closely a local blog that has a thread about Uber in BUD and it is very active.

I do not believe it is a good option simply due to the difficulty in spotting/meeting your Uber driver outside the arrivals hall at the BUD airport.

Budapest has a good transport system from the airport into town via taxi. When you enter the arrivals area (as you leave baggage claim) simply go outside and you will see a small building a few steps away that houses the taxi dispatcher.

The staff all speak English but I normally have the address of my destination written down and hand them. The dispatcher will then provide you a receipt like paper that has the tag number of your assigned taxi. The taxi que starts beside the dispatch building.

Normally, the very next taxi will be your assigned vehicle. The exception is if you need a larger taxi due to luggage/people and you must wait a moment.

The taxi ride into Budapest will average 6-9 thousand Hungarian Forints depending on destination. This is 20-30 USD. The driver will accept credit cards. You will not pay until you reach your destination.

The Budapest airport official taxi service is FoTaxi and are very reputable.

If you wish to use Uber once in town, you should not have any problems.

deniah

There was a big mix up last week about whether Uber should be legal. Buncha politicking. In the end, Uber stayed free to continue operating in the city.

I've used it lots, its good. Although the standard taxis all accept credit card, and are in good condition, and arent liable to scam foreigners.... a disproportionate percentage of them dont speak English ..... combined with the other Uber advantages I still prefer Uber

catandmouse

I found the FoTaxi setup in Budapest very professional. The dispatcher assigns you a vehicle and a destination, prints out a sheet with the approximate fare on it, but advice that the exact fare will depend on traffic and exact routing. I found the drivers to be professional and friendly. Finally the fares were quite reasonable and the vehicles clean.
It's a setup that I would like to see in many other cities in the world.

Jimmy O's

Last summer (August, I think) we used Uber a couple of times in Budapest. Worked fine and we were happy. The only problem was the Uber cars are typical European sedans. So the four of us with bags ended up in two cars from the train station to the flat and then out to the airport. Also used in a few times running about town. No problems.

horse glasses

I'm meeting friends there so it will just be me and my reasonably sized suitcase. Having a cashless method of payment is actually what makes it more appealing, but if it's a pain to find the driver then I may be too tired to deal with that. I'm not sure there would be much of a difference in your outcome being in an accident in a Hungarian taxi versus an Uber car though.

Fasano Havenshire

I often use Uber to get home from the airport. After you hail, send a message to the driver with the correct terminal (2A or 2B). Usually they will pull up at arrivals but occasionally they will ask you to walk down the stairs to the parking lot. Not a big deal though.

WilcoRoger

I for one don't see any advantage of Uber over regular cabs in Budapest. Cabs are a-plenty and cheap* and if you are of the generation of "I-need-an-app-to-do-anything" at least the aforementioned Főtaxi has an app, where you can order your ride and even follow online as it makes its way to you. I've used that app, works scarily well.

*within the city I normally pay less for the ride than the flagfall rate in HEL