Uber or Cabify in Lanzarote
If you look for a car from one of these apps while you are in Lanzarote, you will not see any available: Uber and Cabify do not operate on the island. It is not a fault on your phone or an out-of-date version of the app, and this page explains why.
They do not operate on the island
Neither Uber nor Cabify offers journeys in Lanzarote: open the app here and no vehicles appear. The island has no chauffeur service running under those platforms, and neither company serves locally. In other Spanish cities the situation is different, which is why the same app may work at home and not here.
Why they are not here
Passenger transport on the island is organised around the taxi licences granted by each municipality, with published fares, ranks and a dispatch. Around that there is no fleet of chauffeur-driven cars authorised to work with platforms; without vehicles available under that model, the app has nothing to offer you in Lanzarote.
What you will find when you search
Three different things turn up in that search: transfer companies with advance booking and a fixed price, which are not a rank taxi; a taxi booking with the dispatch of the municipality, if that operator has its own channel; and adverts promising a car in the style of those apps that lead to a private transfer form. Look at what you are hiring before you pay.
The real alternative
To get around without your own car: the rank and the dispatch for the taxi, the Intercity bus for the fixed routes, and car hire if you want to explore the island at your own pace. This site's comparison guides weigh the three up without selling you any of them. If the situation changes, this page is revised with the new information.
Frequently asked questions
Will Uber or Cabify ever come to Lanzarote? ＋
Nobody can say: it depends on the regulations, the licences granted and each platform's decision. This site predicts nothing and promises no dates; if something changes, this page is updated with whatever can be verified at the time.
What if an app offers me a car on the island? ＋
Check what you are hiring. If there is advance booking and a fixed price, it is a transfer service; if you get into a vehicle with a taxi licence and a meter running, it is a taxi. Ask for the amount and the receipt before you set off, exactly as you would in the street.
Is there an app for ordering a taxi in Lanzarote? ＋
There is no single app for the island: most journeys are ordered by phone through the dispatch of the municipality. Ranks remain the most direct route, especially at the airport and in the busier centres.