Uber in Germany
 

Hi all,

Any feedback or experiences with Uber car service in Germany? I've only used them in the US but will be traveling to Munich and Frankfurt soon, and would like to know how it went for you? Was the phone app easy to use, no language issues, etc? Thanks for any tips and suggestions!

At the moment Uber is forbidden in Germany so I doubt you can use it.

But what about Über? :p

They're in deep trouble with authorities in Germany because their drivers are neither trained, licensed, insured nor paid properly and they do not meet neither security nor business regulations. All this is no recommendation to ever use them. Their services are currently banned, the final court decision is to be expected.

They announced to ignore the court-order today. Could be funny in the future.... As they seem to send you under circumstances totally unlicenced vehicles in Germany, I would never use it.

I think Uber in the USA makes perfectly sense. Taxi service in most cities the US is horrible. I lived in San Francisco for six months and I have never seen such an unreliable, disorganized and mismanaged taxi service ever. Even in Kuala Lumpur or Saigon the service was better and more reliable.

In Germany the taxi service is well regulated and in the upper most cases very efficient. With the introduction of the very very good MyTaxi App it even entered the 21st century.

I addition you as a guest have certain rights when using a licensed taxi and you are insured when on board a taxi. With Uber it is just between you and the driver and god knows what happens if you get hurt in an accident.

To answer LR2013 question. If you are looking for a service you can order via an app take a look at the mytaxi app which is available for iOS and Android.

Yikes, I wasn't aware of Uber's current status with German authorities and the issues with unlicensed vehicles, thanks for the heads up. Uber's web site has German cities listed and will quote fares from point to point, so I thought they would be a handy alternative to cabs. My last Uber transaction was in San Francisco, and it went SO MUCH better than taking a cab, which has always been a ghastly experience in SF, as caspritz78 states. Glad I thought to ask about Germany and not assume it would be ok. :eek:

Thanks so much for the tip, I will definitely look into the my taxi app.

Current second level court ruling forbids Uber service in Germany and places a penalty of up to 250.000 euro per single case of breach. That despite this ruling Uber still operates in Germany is mind bogling IMO...

I just used Uber Black in Netherlands and contrary to some of the misinformation posted here, Uber Black drivers are licensed and have insurance. It's Uber X/Uber Pop cars that you have to be concerned about. The experience that I had with Black was fantastic & I'll use it exclusively in any city that has it in the future. One of the Black drivers told me that he has a regular taxi service and he makes a lot more money driving Uber fares than his regular service. 80% of his business now comes from Uber and he is extremely happy with the money he makes from them.

To those of you who say that you would never use Uber, how many times have you used Black?

Yes the court banned UberPoP and not UberBlack in Germany. Still I don't see a reason to use UberBlack in Germany. A quick price comparison between UberBlack and taxis in Frankfurt.

UberBlack:
Initial fare: 4,50€
Fare: 0,40€ per minute plus 1,15€ per km
Minimum Fare: 9€

Taxi:
Initial fare: 2,80€ (6am-10pm) 3,30€ (10pm-6am)
Fare (6am-10pm): 1,75 up to 12km, 1,60 from 12 to 20km, 1,55 from 21km
Fare (10pm-6am): 1,85 up to 12km, 1,75 from 12 to 20km, 1,70 from 21km

Example calculation:
Drive from Westin Frankfurt to the airport. According to Googlemaps 12km and 20 minutes.

UberBlack: 26,30€
Taxi (6am-10pm): 23,80€
Taxi (10pm-6am): 25,50€

Result: Taxi is cheaper unless the UberBlack driver drives like crazy and gets you there under 18minutes.

I always find it fascinating when people criticize something, i.e., a product or service such as UberBlack, without having any direct, real world experience with it.

The €2.50 maximum difference & €.80 minimum difference that was pointed out is insignificant to me, especially in light of the great service I experienced with UberBlack. Even with the "higher" cost differential, I would choose Uber.

Still waiting to hear from someone with actual experience with UberBlack in Germany or Europe.

I pretty much agree with everything caspritz says. I use myTaxi all the time and it's great. I would never consider Uber in Germany (or anywhere else in Europe). What's the point?

An amusingly rhetorical question, however, to put a cap on it - Whatever floats your boat, or in this case, taxi. There are always choices to be made in life. :)

Uber in Germany
 

I've never used Uber in Germany and I'd be interested in getting feedback from recent users. I tried to use it in Hamburg two weeks ago, but the car took forever to show up and I subsequently cancelled it. I tried it repeatedly but it was always the same problem. I'd like to use them this weekend at MUC airport, but I'm wondering if I'll encounter the same issues.

The legal situation of Uber (especially UberPop) in Germany is dubious at best.