https://www.uber.com/es-CL/drive/

Halfway down the page it says they want a copy of your driver's licence. It implies you need a Panamanian licence but doesn't say explicitly.

Also, you can not get a Panamanian licence until you obtain at least a temporary resident visa..

You can drive legally in Panama on a tourist visa for 90 days, but that does not mean that a local company will contract you to drive for them without valid documentation.

As your wife is a citizen she can apply without any issues.

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Just a question. Do you have any experience driving in Pty City?

There are no words that can explain especially once the kids go back to school in March. Good luck.

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10abuse

Yeah sorry but I for one hate uber drivers and everyone who drives a cab here does as well,. we have to buy tags each year on top of the regular car tags, are governed by ins, and how much we have to charge while you guys just jump in without any of that and go to work. first off If you don't have a full time visa and a work permit you can't do it at all. You would be breaking the law and I as well as a many thousands more would not only turn you in, but would carry you down to the jail. 2nd all these old drivers would wreck your stuff in a heartbeat. Just let em know you drive for uber and who ever lives next to you will tell a member of their family who drives a regular cab about it and you will have problems.

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Uber is excellent in Panama City. The cars are MUCH nicer than most taxis, the drivers are MUCH better than most taxi drivers, and the prices are MUCH more affordable than a taxi.

In Panama City, you can now even request an English speaking driver.

But you would not want to attempt to be an Uber driver in Panama City until you learn your way around and how to drive in Panama City. It's CRAZY traffic.

Keep in mind, if you work in Panama, you will need a work permit and you can't get a work permit until you have your permanent residency Visa, like Friendly Nations Visa. You also cannot get a Panama driver's license until you get your Visa. It's better to wait to get your Permanent Visa then get your Driver's license because the driver's license is only good as long as your Visa is good. A temporary Visa is only good for 6 months now.

It will take at least 4-5 months to get your permanent Visa and work permit.

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If you drive with your country's driver license it is only good for 90 days. You will have to exit the country (I believe for 72 hours) and come back. You need to do this every 90 days if you do not have a Panama drivers license.

Also, every time you travel back to Panama you need to show a ticket that you are traveling out of Panama to your home country or you will not be allowed on the flight.
Above is only for persons that are not legal residents.

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I would agree with PanamJackie's assessment. Whenever I am in the city my first choice is Uber and last choice if there are no other options is a yellow taxi.
First issue is always service, 80% of the time the taxi driver doesn't want to go to your destination so you have to go through 4 or 5 before you find one that will take you to your destination. This is never an issue with Uber.
Second is price if you are a gringo the taxi driver's 90% of the time will quote a price that is inflated from 200-300% from what should be the normal rate. Again never an issue with Uber. In fact I use that when I have to deal with the taxi and they start out with the quote of $18 then I respond with Uber only charges $7 for the same trip then they will match the Uber price or go away in a huff.
Third when the Uber shows up it is always a clean quality vehicle, not held together with duct tape and bungie cord as many of the taxis seem to be.
Bottom line the taxis got too comfortable with having a monopoly and figured that excempted them from providing quality service at a fair price. However all that does is open the door for upstarts like uber to come in and take the business away.

Not to say there are not good quality taxis with professional drivers in the city as I have encountered them; sadly though they seem to be a declining minority at present

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10abuse

I appreciate the information. I should have explained that my wife is a citizen of panama, and we are planning on going back to retire. I did live there before and have driven in the city. I think it is easiest to say that driving there is like driving in New York city.
I agree Uber is cleaner and much less I understand that regular cab drivers have to pay a lot more for licensing, but maybe the government should change something.
I lived in Lachorera and belive me there is a big need for cab drivers or just transportation no matter where you go.
I am just looking for something to do when I go there to retire.

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I thought you were quite clear in your original post about your wife being Panamanian,

I found a few blog posts talking about taxis, uber, and driving in Panama in general that you may find of interest.

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"Uber provides several benefits over traditional taxis, including generally better car quality and better service, more security, as you are provided with your driver’s name and details, a metered fare so no need to worry about getting ripped off by taxi drivers who try to “gringo” you, and the ability to go cashless. It also in many circumstances, especially when taking UberX, be as cheap if not cheaper than traditional taxis."

http://panamaforbeginners.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-uber-in-panama/

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"Uber has some definite advantages over taxis. First, they will come to you, so you don’t have to worry about finding one in the streets. All of their cars are new, comfortable, and guaranteed to have AC. The cabs here, by comparison, are often basically cardboard boxes on wheels. Some don’t even have a front end, let alone AC. Uber drivers also cannot reject a destination, and the rides are metered. So you don’t have to argue about a fair or worry about being ripped off."

http://panamaforbeginners.com/getting-around-in-panama-city/

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http://panamaforbeginners.com/my-first-time-driving-in-panama/

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00abuse

Are there uber drivers in Coronado and Gorgona?

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00abuse