Taking an UBER in Milan

Taking an UBER in Milan was a great and easy experience for me. When I left the city in the morning, fully packed with a backpack, a bag with my expensive electronics and a little suitcase, I had two options. Either walk about 400 metres to a bus stop and ride for 39 minutes, after downloading the ATM app for public transport in Milan to buy a ticket because there are no ticket machines. Or take an UBER. A taxi somehow didn’t come to my mind: I would have had to find a number, call, and hope they understood English or at least where I was and where I wanted to go. Who has the nerve for that at 6 in the morning? So I chose UBER for my last trip in Milan.

What is UBER? UBER Black vs UBER POP in Milan

UBER is an international company headquartered in San Francisco that connects drivers and customers through a simple smartphone app. There have been plenty of controversies, and it was even banned from operating in Germany. At the time, UBER offered two kinds of taxi service at different prices: UBER Black is the more expensive business version, and UBER POP is cheaper, with less high-class cars. Please note that this is my experience from 2015. UberPop was later ordered to stop in Italy, so check which options the app offers today.

How UBER in Milan works: app, payment and prices

Before my first ride I downloaded the UBER app, which is available for iOS and Android. You sign up and connect either a PayPal account or a credit card to pay for your rides. My PayPal account didn’t work at first, but when I tried again some time later it did. Even without booking a car you can check your route and the price. From my hotel in Niguarda it would have cost 7 euros with UBER POP and 22 euros with UBER Black. You also see in real time how many cars are available and roughly how long they need to reach you.

When I checked the evening before my departure there were times when no cars were available at all, neither Black nor POP. So you can’t book a car in advance for the next day, and you need a little luck that one is free and close when you need it.

My experience with UBER in Milan: ride to Milano Centrale

I checked the costs again, but this time I hit the button to hire the car. The app immediately showed the arrival time, the driver’s name, the number plate and the car. I got an UBER Black, driven by Massimo in a black Mercedes E-Class, arriving in 15 minutes. I used the time to check out, pay the city tax and go outside. Thanks to the location tracking I knew where the driver was, and even though the dot on my phone was about 100 metres behind, I recognised the car right away by its number plate. The car, with no banners or taxi signs, stopped in front of me, the driver jumped out, confirmed it was me and put my luggage in the trunk.

Without many words we started towards Milano Centrale train station, where I arrived on time. It was 7 in the morning on a Sunday, so there was no traffic at all. After parking at the taxi spots, Massimo gave me my luggage and drove off. I had a 10 euro voucher, so I only paid 12 euros, automatically via PayPal. (Edit: in London I also tried UBER Pool.)

If you want a 10€ discount on your next UBER drive, use the code ‘DR6ZFUE‘ and enjoy your reduced ride.

Review: is taking an UBER in Milan worth it?

All in all, riding an UBER in Milan was a pleasant experience, but personally the 22 euros would have been too expensive for me, and I wouldn’t have done the ride without the discount. The bus would have cost 1.50 euros, but taken 39 instead of 15 minutes. Have you ever taken an UBER, and what was your experience?

More Milan tips: after arriving at the station have a look at supermarket shopping at Milano Centrale or read about my lunch at illy Cafe Milano. Browse the tags Milan, Public Transport Milan and taxi in Milan, or the categories Micro Mobility / Travel in Cities, Mobility and Lombardy.