Uber is now officially available in Saint Lucia. The global ride-hailing company announced on January 27 that its Uber Taxi service has gone live, allowing both visitors and residents to request rides via the app with licensed local taxi drivers across the island.
Uber says the service is designed to integrate with Saint Lucia’s existing taxi sector, using licensed drivers rather than private vehicles.
“Saint Lucia welcomes visitors from around the world, and this launch brings a familiar, app-based way to get around the island,” said Jorge Cordero, general manager for Uber in Saint Lucia.
“Uber Taxi connects tourists with licensed local taxi drivers, with upfront trip details designed to make exploring Saint Lucia more seamless.”
Through the app, riders can view driver information, see estimated fares before confirming trips, and track routes in real time. Uber began inviting taxi drivers to join the platform late last year in preparation for the launch.
“The response in the market has been strong, and taxis are already available in the app to complete trips,” Cordero said. “We’re also in ongoing conversations with transportation companies and taxi organisations to support onboarding.”
Last week, Deputy Prime Minister and Tourism Minister Ernest Hilaire disclosed that while Uber had formally expressed interest in operating in Saint Lucia, no meeting had yet taken place between the company and the government. It remains unclear whether the parties have since met.
At the January 19 pre-Cabinet press briefing, Hilaire indicated that he was open to dialogue with all stakeholders and noted that, as far as he knows, existing laws do not prevent Uber from operating on the island.
“If Uber is a technology platform, I don’t know that the law prevents anybody from joining any service that can market and promote and facilitate their business,” he said.
Previously, a cross-section of taxi operators, particularly those represented by the National Taxi Union, expressed their reservations about the company’s entry into the local transport market, describing it as being “possibly detrimental”.
It was just a matter of time. Saint Lucia is a premier tourism destination. Some things you can’t stop, especially in a free market economy. Government should work with what’s happening and stop trying to deny these events. Air bnb is here, right?
To bad Uber need to come here and that the local initiative Allez is not used more. Finally we can get a taxi from our home, if we are in a private house somewhere not close to the Airport and not in Castries. The National Taxi union could probably have prevented this if they had worked out a operative system for the whole Island, so one can call one telphonenumber to get a taxi or use an taxiapp. Instead you now have to call direct to a lot of diffent taxi drivers, that might be far away or off duty. And also the prices is to high both for locals and tourists,
The St. Lucian Taxi Association should formally protest the government’s decision to permit Uber’s entry into St. Lucia. Such a move may adversely affect local taxi operators. There is a domestic company operating like Uber; however, the government has allowed a foreign enterprise to compete with a local business. Is this aligned with the wishes of the St. Lucian populace? Furthermore, one can contemplate that if Allen Chastanet had facilitated the introduction of Uber, all representatives of the SLP would have criticised him vehemently.
@Katrin James … I do not get your “complaint”. What is there to “prevent”? Uber IS a taxi app, where one has the ability to get information of the Uber driver, and depending on your location to get them to give a service. I fail to understand your gripe.