Is There Uber in Madeira? (2025)

If you’re traveling to Madeira, you’ve probably asked, ‘Is there Uber in Maderia?’

Even though we rented a car in Madeira, we scheduled our pickup for the following day by mistake and were left trying to find a ride from the airport to our hotel in Machico. Another hiccup happened when our flight from the Azores to Madeira got delayed by 4 hours, meaning we didn’t arrive until after 2 AM.

We spent those exhausting hours at the airport researching all the public transportation options in Maderia and if there was Uber or an alternative ride-on-demend service.

But, if you’re just here for the quick answer… Nope, there is no Uber in Madeira.

We’ll explain why in a minute. Then, we’ll talk through the island’s alternative ride-sharing app, public taxis, private transfers, and other transportation options so that you feel confident getting around Madeira.

Why is There No Uber in Madiera?

Uber isn’t available in Madeira. It did make a brief appearance a few years ago before being suspended due to local regulations limiting the number of vehicles that could provide services in the region.

Now, if you search for a ride on Uber, this is all you’ll get:

But don’t worry!

Luckily, there are some local alternatives for finding rides from the airport to your hotel and the most famous parts of the island.

Uber Alternative #1 – BOLT

BOLT has stepped up to fill the gap left by Uber.

It’s a familiar setup. You open the app, set your location, and a ride comes your way. We’ve found it has competitive rates and decent coverage around the island.

They also have a decent number of cars around the island, and while a ride might not be available right away, you can eventually get one in most cities.

Their rates are 1.09€ base / 0.59€ per km / 0.27€ per minute. There’s also a 4€ minimum.

This means a ride from the Madeira Airport to Funchal would cost $19-21.

It’s definitely the best thing to use in a pinch, but it’s not guaranteed that a ride will be available, and more expensive than alternatives in Madeira,

Uber Alternative #2 – Welcome Pickups

WelcomePickups offers more of a ‘private transfer’ service, where you can pre-arrange rides around the island.

However, they are most well-known for airport transfers, and we highly recommend using them in Madeira. It’s nice to be greeted by a friendly face at the airport and know that you don’t have to think or figure out any logistics when you arrive.

It costs about the same as BOLT but is much more convenient, doesn’t require you to get Wi-Fi at the airport, and there is no wait for the car.

They’ll also track your flight and adjust the pickup accordingly if it’s delayed.

Outside of airport transfers, they can arrange transfers all around the island but are usually unavailable on demand. You have to schedule your ride at least a few hours ahead of time.

Public Transportation in Madeira

Madeira’s landscape is beautiful, with coastal cliffs, mountain villages, forests, and beaches. But it’s not super easy to navigate.

In most parts of Maderia, the elevation rises quickly, which means many narrow, windy mountain roads. It’s wild.

Honestly, it’s impressive that they built such a substantial highway system through the island. It seemed like to get anywhere, you had to drive through ten tunnels!

So, if you don’t feel comfortable renting a car and driving around Madeira as we did, here are four additional ways to get around Madeira, Portugal.

Public Taxis in Madeira

Public taxis in Madeira are everywhere. They are yellow cars with a blue stripe along the sides, and official taxis will have a sign on top that says ‘taxi.’

Most small towns and villages have a designated stand where you’ll find a line of taxis. Still, it’s even more prominent within Funchal and other popular tourist areas such as Machico, Câmâra de Lobes, Calheta, Seixal, and Ribeira Brava.

Here are some Taxi numbers to call if you’re in a smaller town!

• Taxi Madiera = +351 912 000 625
• Daniel Madeira = +351 919 791 289
• Madiera Island Taxis = +351 969 872 701

The nice part is that there are no negotiating fares since all drivers abide by government-regulated prices. Here are the standard fares in and around Funchal:

• Weekday Base Rate: Day = €3 (6 AM to 9 PM) | Night = €3.60 (9 PM to 6 AM)
• Weekday Price Per km = €0.47
• Weekend Base Rate: Day = €4 (6 AM to 9 PM) | Night = €4.80 (9 PM to 6 AM)
• Weekend Price Per km = €0.56

For those carrying extra luggage, it’s about €1.50 per piece of luggage.

Outside Funchal, the government has approved set rates for each major route to Madeira’s popular levadas, beaches, waterfalls, and natural pools!

Public Buses in Madeira

If you’re looking to travel on a budget or just taking a short trip from Funchal to Câmâra de Lobes, the public buses around Madeira are pretty reliable. There are bus routes connecting almost every major city and hiking area.

The most common bus company in Funchal is Horários do Funchal. They have big yellow buses, and you can simply use Google Maps to find the right stop and any necessary transfers to get around the city.

We took the bus back to the city after our toboggan ride in Monte before visiting some of the famous wineries in Funchal. At the time, we didn’t understand the bus routes well at all, but Google Maps worked great, and the bus driver assured us we would eventually reach Avenida Do Mar (the main street in Funchal).

But you can’t plug directions into your phone for ‘interurban’ bus routes to places like the Fanal Forest, Santana, Seixal, Porto Moniz, and other places outside Funchal. Here are some local companies and links to their websites (with timetables)

• Rodoeste – White buses with a red stripe serve most major western Madeira tourist spots. They have a user-friendly website with a helpful interactive map.
• SAM Bus – Green and white buses and only serve routes in eastern Madeira. They also have an express route from the Airport to Funcal and Praia Formoso.
• EACL – White and burgundy buses with routes between Funchal and Caniço. We found the website pretty difficult to use and understand their timetables.

Remember that all buses are cash-only.

Renting a Car in Madeira

We rented a car for most of our trip to Madeira, and the freedom was unmatched.

We could create our own itinerary each day, make pit stops at the scenic viewpoints, and stay at a specific lookout or natural pools long after the tours had left.

We could also get up before dawn and get to the most popular hikes.

This is super important, especially during high season in Madeira, because the hikes you see all over social media get crowded very quickly! For places like Levada do Caldeirão Verde, Levada das 25 Fontes, and Vereda da Ponta de São Lourenço, we did our best to get to the trailhead before 7 AM.

By 10-11 AM, all the tour groups had arrived, and it was a very different experience.

You can rent a car at the airport in Madeira, but there’s no guarantee they will have one available. We booked our rental car for Madeira through DiscoverCars, which tends to offer the best prices.

We use a highly rated rental agency for just under $40/day. We found this was cheaper than group tours or a roundtrip taxi to most hikes, so it ended up saving us a lot of money!

Their full-coverage insurance also saved our butt when we got a flat tire near Seixal!

Costs and Tips for Transportation

Here is a chart outlining the costs of each type of transportation in Maderia. We’ve used three of the most common transfers in Madiera, including from the Funchal to Camara De Lobos (short trip), Madeira Airport to Funchal (medium), and Funchal to Seixal (long trip)

After researching and then trying a few of the different types of transportation in Madeira first-hand, it became clear that renting a car is the best way to travel the island.

A one-day car rental is about equal to the price of a one-way taxi ride, meaning you can save a lot of money by renting a car in Madeira.

However, if you don’t feel comfortable driving in Maderia, the most convenient way to get around is to use BOLT. They offer the cheapest taxi rides on the island.

Buses are the cheapest option but inconvenient (it takes 3 hours to get from Funchal to Seixal). You are subject to the bus schedule, so you can’t keep your itinerary flexible.

Final Thoughts: Uber in Madeira

While Uber may not have found its way back to Madeira yet, there are still several ways to get around, and most of them are pretty straightforward.

The BOLT app and Welcome Pickups are the closest alternatives to Uber in Madeira. But you can also take public taxis anywhere you want to go in Madeira.

But if you truly want to immerse yourself in Madeira and have full control over your itinerary, we highly encourage you to book a rental car. It’s the best way to see the island and way more affordable than taking multiple taxis every day.

Enjoy traveling through Madeira! We hope your journey is as unforgettable as ours!