Is there Uber in Cuba?

No. Uber has never operated in Cuba, and neither have Lyft, Bolt or Cabify. The nearest equivalent is La Nave, a Cuban app that does the same job — map booking, fare estimate, named driver, live tracking — but settles in cash and requires a local phone number.

Can a tourist use La Nave?

Yes, provided you get a Cuban mobile number. The app is available in English as well as Spanish, and the interface will be familiar to anyone who has used a ride-hailing app before. Without a Cuban line you cannot complete registration, which is why the SIM is the part to plan.

How do you pay for La Nave?

In cash, in Cuban pesos, handed to the driver at the end of the trip. There is no card payment inside the app. A receipt is emailed to you afterwards, which is useful if you are keeping track of what a week of moving around actually cost.

Does La Nave work outside Havana?

Patchily. It was built for the capital and that is where the drivers are. Travellers report occasional service in a few other cities and none at all in smaller places, so anywhere outside Havana you should have a fallback arranged rather than standing on a street expecting a car to appear.

Is La Nave safe to use?

It carries the safety features you would expect — the driver is named, the vehicle is identified, trips are rated and the route is tracked on the map — and those are real improvements on flagging down an unmarked car. Ordinary travel sense still applies: check that the car and plate match what the app showed you before you get in.

Is it cheaper than a taxi?

We will not print a figure, because the honest answer is that it depends and the sources disagree. What the app does give you is a quote before you commit, which is a different kind of advantage from being cheap: you are not negotiating through a car window in a language you may not speak.

Practical Cuba · Getting around

Ride-hailing in Cuba: La Nave

There is no Uber in Cuba, and there never has been. What Havana built instead is La Nave — an app that books a car from a map, quotes you a fare before you accept, shows the driver's name and rating, and tracks the trip as you ride. If you have used Uber you will recognise it within about ten seconds. The catch is the phone number it is attached to, and that is worth understanding before you land.

Getting online in Cuba →Money & cash →All transport options →

This page carries no fares. Sources contradict each other on whether La Nave undercuts a street taxi or costs more, quoted prices move with the peso, and the app applies its own surge at busy hours. Treat the in-app estimate as the only number worth reading. Ride-hailing · 2026-09-03

So what happened to Uber?

The big international platforms never arrived. Uber, Lyft, Bolt, Cabify and the rest are absent from Cuba, and the reasons are structural rather than commercial: US sanctions law makes the island awkward for an American company to touch, and a ride-hailing business normally runs on card payments through international processors, which is precisely the plumbing Cuba does not have. So the gap was filled locally. La Nave is Cuban-built and Cuban-run, drivers hand over a share of each fare to stay on the platform, and payment happens the way almost everything in Cuba happens — in cash, to the driver, at the end of the ride.

It needs a Cuban phone number

This is the fact that decides whether the app is any use to you. La Nave authenticates against a Cuban mobile line and runs on Cuban mobile data, so a foreign SIM roaming on the island will not get you through registration. In practice you buy an ETECSA tourist SIM after you arrive — passport in hand, at the airport or at an ETECSA office — and register the app on that number. A travel eSIM is excellent for getting online but does not usually give you the local number the app wants, so read the small print before assuming it will cover you. Install the app before you fly: reaching the App Store or Play Store from inside Cuba is unreliable and often needs a VPN.

Getting online in Cuba →

How a trip works

1
Open the app and let it read your location, then type or drop a pin on where you are going.
2
Pick a vehicle class. The list runs from a motorbike seat to a large air-conditioned car.
3
Read the estimate. It is a guide, not a fixed price — a longer real route or time spent waiting will move it.
4
Accept, then watch the assigned driver approach on the map. You get a name, a vehicle and a rating.
5
Pay the driver in Cuban pesos when you arrive. There is no card charge inside the app; a receipt goes to your email.

The vehicle classes

La Nave sorts its fleet into five categories, and on a hot afternoon with luggage the difference between them matters more than the name suggests.

Moto: A seat on the back of a motorbike. Quickest way through Havana traffic, no luggage capacity, and you should think about whether a helmet is offered before you accept.
Basic: An ordinary car. This is the default and the one most trips use — expect an older vehicle and do not count on air conditioning.
Comfort: A newer, better-kept car, more reliably air-conditioned. Worth choosing in July and August, or when you are arriving somewhere you would rather not arrive sweating.
Basic XL: A larger vehicle for a group or for real luggage. The category to pick if there are four of you and a set of suitcases.
Comfort XL: The large-and-newer combination — space plus condition, and the closest the platform comes to a private transfer.

Before you fly

Install La Nave at home, while the app stores are still easy to reach.
Plan how you are getting a Cuban number, and check whether the eSIM you were about to buy actually provides one.
Carry cash. The app settles in pesos, in the car, and nothing about that step is digital.
Save your destinations written in Spanish — a driver reading an address in English is a slow start to a journey.
Assume Havana and verify anywhere else. Coverage thins quickly outside the capital.

When the app is not the answer

La Nave is a Havana service first. Elsewhere on the island — Trinidad, Viñales, the cays — coverage ranges from thin to absent, and the arrangements that have always worked still work: your casa particular or hotel will call a driver they know, the state taxi ranks operate at the airports and the big hotels, and for longer distances the intercity coaches and the shared colectivo cars are the normal way to move. For a resort transfer, the transfer your operator has already booked is almost always the simpler option.

All transport options →

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Is there Uber in Cuba?: No. Uber has never operated in Cuba, and neither have Lyft, Bolt or Cabify. The nearest equivalent is La Nave, a Cuban app that does the same job — map booking, fare estimate, named driver, live tracking — but settles in cash and requires a local phone number.
Can a tourist use La Nave?: Yes, provided you get a Cuban mobile number. The app is available in English as well as Spanish, and the interface will be familiar to anyone who has used a ride-hailing app before. Without a Cuban line you cannot complete registration, which is why the SIM is the part to plan.
How do you pay for La Nave?: In cash, in Cuban pesos, handed to the driver at the end of the trip. There is no card payment inside the app. A receipt is emailed to you afterwards, which is useful if you are keeping track of what a week of moving around actually cost.
Does La Nave work outside Havana?: Patchily. It was built for the capital and that is where the drivers are. Travellers report occasional service in a few other cities and none at all in smaller places, so anywhere outside Havana you should have a fallback arranged rather than standing on a street expecting a car to appear.
Is La Nave safe to use?: It carries the safety features you would expect — the driver is named, the vehicle is identified, trips are rated and the route is tracked on the map — and those are real improvements on flagging down an unmarked car. Ordinary travel sense still applies: check that the car and plate match what the app showed you before you get in.
Is it cheaper than a taxi?: We will not print a figure, because the honest answer is that it depends and the sources disagree. What the app does give you is a quote before you commit, which is a different kind of advantage from being cheap: you are not negotiating through a car window in a language you may not speak.

CubaAtlas is independent and has no relationship with La Nave or its developers. This page describes a third-party app for information only; it is not an endorsement, and we take no part in any trip you book. App availability, coverage and features change — confirm current details before you rely on them.