How can I pay for a ride in cash?

Cash used to be king. It’s not quite King anymore. Many locations and services have gone away from taking or using cash and only accept credit, debit, or other online forms of payment. Uber, for the most part, is a cashless experience. It’s one of the main draws for many people because they don’t have to worry about carrying cash or having the right change on them. You can pay for Uber rides directly through the app by linking a card. Like Uber, Lyft does not allow for payment by way of cash either. Not everyone wants to or feels comfortable paying with a debit or credit card, and that is just fine. There are still ways of getting around using only cash. 

First it is important to note, that there are some markets that do allow you to pay for an Uber in cash. This was an experimental service launched by Uber in 2016 in select cities or countries around the world. Johannesburg, Egypt, Vietnam, Malaysia, India, and a handful of other countries may accept cash as payment for Uber rides. This is subject to change at any moment since the service is experimental and not guaranteed. 

Our main suggestion for how to get around using cash is to use regular old Taxis. Taxis are the traditional for hire way of getting around, and they have always accepted cash and continue to do so. Hailing a taxi differs depending on the city you are in but for the most part you can hail a taxi off the street or find a taxi stand. If you would prefer to use an app to hail your taxi many cities have adopted app hailing systems to keep up with Uber and Lyft.  There are several apps out there; some are international and others are regional. RideYellow, which is available throughout California and Florida, is one example of a taxi hailing app, which allows you to pay for your ride in cash. Some other popular cab hailing apps are Arro, Bolt, Cab Hound, Curb, Easy Taxi, and MyTaxi (MyTaxi has changed their name to FREE NOW).

Try using the RideGuru Ride Finder to find which taxi hailing apps are available in your area and get an estimate for how much your ride will cost.