Getting Around Brazil:Ride-Hailing and Transportation Apps for Travelers

Getting around Brazil's major cities is easier than you might expect as long as you know which apps to use. Brazil has a robust and competitive ride-hailing market, with multiple platforms available across its largest cities. Here is a practical breakdown of every app worth having on your phone before you land.

Uber — The Universal Default

Uber operates across all major Brazilian cities — São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Belo Horizonte, Salvador, Recife, Fortaleza, and many others. It accepts international credit cards from day one, requires no local account, and works with an overseas phone number. Ride options include UberX (standard), UberBlack (premium), and UberMoto (motorcycle, available in select cities).

For airport transfers, Uber is almost always the safest choice. Most major Brazilian airports have a designated app pickup zone separate from the taxi queue. Book your ride before exiting the terminal to avoid unofficial drivers who approach in arrivals halls.

99 — Brazil's Local Champion

Originally launched as 99Taxis in 2012, 99 was acquired by Didi Chuxing in 2018 and is now Brazil's most prominent local competitor to Uber. It operates across hundreds of Brazilian cities and is particularly strong in areas where Uber has less coverage. 99 offers taxi options (licensed cab drivers) alongside private car rides, which can be useful when you want the regulatory accountability of a metered taxi through an app interface.

A meaningful advantage for travelers: 99 frequently runs promotional discounts and may offer lower base fares than Uber in certain cities. It is worth installing both apps and comparing prices for each trip.

BlaBlaCar — Brazil's ride-share app

BlaBlaCar operates in Brazil for intercity shared rides and is useful for travel between cities like São Paulo and Rio. However, drivers are usually private individuals offering a ride-share service and are not usually registered professional drivers. If you need a receipt for business travel or want more reliable transport, this often isn't the case, and it's considered a much more informal option.

Transport Planning Apps To Download

Several apps can help you get around, find transport, or navigate local transportation. Consider downloading these apps to help you navigate the city.

🗺️ Journey Planning & Navigation

• Moovit: Highly precise for navigating São Paulo's metro, trains, and buses, offering turn-by-turn guidance.

• Citymapper: A world-class transit app known for highly accurate, localized multi-modal routing.

• Google Maps: Widely used for viewing transit schedules and station details.

🚌 Real-Time Transit Tracking

• Cittamobi: The best tool for seeing the real-time locations and arrival times of upcoming buses across the capital.

• SPTrans Olho Vivo: The official mobile-friendly bus tracking site for monitoring bus speeds and arrival times in real-time. [1, 2]

🎫 Tickets & Smart Cards

• TOP: The official app used to buy transit tickets, load credits for the Metro and CPTM trains, and manage your digital account.

• São Paulo Metro Official App: Ideal for checking line operational statuses, operating hours, and mapping routes within the Metro network.

City-Specific Options

Rio de Janeiro: Taxi.Rio is a municipally supported app linking passengers to licensed taxi drivers. Registered taxis on this platform can use express bus lanes — reducing journey times and, in some cases, fares.

São Paulo: MobizapSP is São Paulo's city-backed alternative, offering access to regulated taxi drivers through an app interface.

Key Tips for Travelers

• All major apps (Uber, 99) accept international credit cards, and you can use them from arrival day

• Never accept rides from drivers who approach you unsolicited at airports, as oftentimes they are scams - always use the app

• At airports, there are also official taxi kiosks designated inside the airport, usually, or right outside as an option for those who didn't pre-download an app. These are the best and safest option for those unsure how to use ride-share apps upon arrival.

• Motorcycle taxis (mototáxi) are available through 99Moto and other apps in some cities; faster but higher risk in traffic, as many accidents happen via motorcycles throughout Brazil.

Oasis Brazil Travel can help clients book and arrange logistics support, including pre-arranged airport transfers and transportation guidance for every city on their itinerary.