The best travel apps: Ride Hailing

Updated over 1 year ago

Still waving your arms like a neanderthal to catch cabs on the street? Save your energy, as tapping on a screen is much less work. While old school taxis are still a good option in big cities like Tokyo and NYC, ride hailing apps like Uber are often easier especially in unfamiliar cities since you can input the address into the app vs. trying to explain in a foreign language, the rates are usually cheaper, and you don't have to worry about being price gouged since the prices are set by the app.

Other popular regional options
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Uber

Best worldwide ride hailing service

Uber is in by far the most number of cities worldwide than any other ride hailing app. They do charge in the local currency, so make sure the payment option you provide has no foreign transaction fees (go to our Travel Credit Card or Travel Debit Card sections). Depending on the city, they'll have a few different options that range from carpooling (cheapest) to black car or SUVs (expensive).

Lyft

Great for rides in the US

Lyft is the second biggest in the US with great coverage across all major cities and regions and to many has a better reputation than their rival Uber. Their mobile app's design is also top notch.

Check the cities Lyft is in »

Didi Chuxing

Best for rides in China

Didi Chuxing is the biggest ride hailing service in China (after it merged with Uber China). It used to only be available in Chinese but recently became much easier to use for foreigners: it's now available in English and also accepts international credit cards. 谢谢 very much.

Grab

Great for rides in Southeast Asia

Grab is Southeast Asia's homegrown option that's in 30 cities across Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. If you're not tied to Uber (we know it's always easier to not have to download another app), Grab is a great option that works similarly.

BlaBlaCar

Great for affordable, carpool style rides in Europe

BlaBlaCar is a popular option for getting rides between cities in Europe (and increasingly parts of Central/South America). When a BlaBlaCar driver is going on a specific route and you tell BlaBlaCar you are too, you'll get matched up and pay a fee that's usually cheaper than the train or plane. It's basically new age hitchhiking made for the trust age (ya we just wrote that).

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