Uber announced this Saturday, October 31, the launch of a special transport service between Madrid and Sevilla for a fixed fare of 150 euros per trip, a measure intended to offer a mobility alternative to travelers affected by the interruption of the high-speed rail connection following the serious accident that occurred last Wednesday in Urda (Toledo).
The initiative will allow up to four people to share the same vehicle and split the cost of the journey, reducing the price to 37.50 euros per passenger when all seats are occupied. The service will operate in both directions, both from Madrid to Sevilla and from the Andalusian capital to Madrid, and will remain available while rail traffic remains suspended.
"From Uber we want to convey our solidarity and support to all the people affected by the railway accident that occurred in Toledo", the company indicated in a communication sent to its users, in which it also explains the conditions and the procedure for booking the service.
The measure comes after several days of difficulties for traveling between Madrid and Andalucía, with thousands of travelers affected by rail cancellations and strong demand for road and air alternatives. The company intends to offer a new transport option with a fixed price, at a time when numerous passengers are looking for ways to complete their journeys.
How to travel between Madrid and Sevilla for 37.50 euros with Uber
The main feature of the initiative is that Uber establishes a fixed price of 150 euros per vehicle and trip, regardless of whether one person travels or the capacity of four passengers is filled.
In this way, the individual cost will depend on how many people share the journey:
-
One passenger: 150 euros.
-
Two passengers: 75 euros per person.
-
Three passengers: 50 euros per person.
-
Four passengers: 37.50 euros per person.
The lowest price, therefore, is achieved when four travelers share the amount of the same service. The 37.50 euros do not constitute an automatic individual fare, but rather the result of dividing the 150 euros among four occupants.
The company has not indicated in the communication provided that the system will automatically group unknown travelers who make the same trip, so those who wish to split the cost must take this circumstance into account before requesting the vehicle.
The special fare aims to facilitate long-distance trips between the two cities, especially for groups of people who need to travel together and do not have a rail alternative.
How to request the Uber Madrid-Seville special service
Uber has explained that the service can be contracted directly through its mobile application, through a specific option enabled for trips between Madrid and Seville.
Users must follow these steps:
-
Open the Uber application and enter the pickup point and the trip destination.
-
Select the "Madrid-Seville" or "Seville-Madrid" option in the available products section, depending on the direction of the trip.
-
Check that the fixed fare of 150 euros appears before confirming the service request.
The company has indicated that this new option will be available from this Saturday and will remain operational until rail service between both cities resumes.
The aim is for users to know in advance the price of the trip and to have an additional alternative in the face of the difficulties for traveling along the Andalusia rail corridor.
The effective availability of vehicles may depend on the supply of drivers and on the conditions that appear in the application at the time of making the reservation.
The suspension of the AVE Madrid-Andalusia forces the search for transport alternatives
Uber's decision comes after the Urda rail accident, which occurred on October 28, forced the interruption of high-speed traffic between Madrid and Andalusia. The collision between a Renfe AVE train and another from Iryo has caused serious personal consequences and damage to the railway infrastructure, which is still pending recovery.
The interruption affects one of Spain's main transport corridors, used daily by thousands of passengers to travel between Madrid and Andalusian cities such as Seville, Córdoba or Málaga.
In this situation, Renfe, Iryo and Ouigo have had to cancel services, while affected travelers look for alternatives to complete their journeys by bus, flights, rental vehicles or shared mobility platforms.
The situation has been complicated by the postponement of the alternative transport plan of Renfe for the Madrid-Andalusia corridor, initially scheduled for Friday, October 30. The rail operator has announced that its launch cannot take place before Tuesday, November 3 due to the regulatory deadlines required to modify the service shifts of the train drivers.
Meanwhile, Adif keeps the circulation on the affected high-speed line interrupted and has still not established a definitive date for its reopening.
Iberia, buses and shared cars: the other alternatives for traveling to Andalucía
The Uber initiative joins the measures adopted by other transport companies to respond to the increase in demand caused by the interruption of rail service.
Iberia has reinforced the air connections between Madrid and Andalucía and has established a maximum price of 99 euros per trip in tourist class until November 8, in addition to adding additional seats to facilitate the travel of affected passengers.
The supply of buses has also been increased and the activity of car-sharing platforms, such as BlaBlaCar, has risen notably. However, strong demand has caused difficulties in finding seats and important differences between the prices of the available trips.
According to the checks published by Cadena SER, some shared-car seats between Madrid and Seville for this weekend were being offered for amounts close to 50 euros per person, although the fares vary depending on availability and the driver.
In this context, Uber's proposal allows the trip to be made for 37.50 euros per person when four passengers travel, with the advantage of knowing the total amount of the service before contracting it.
However, the initiative is limited to trips between Madrid and Seville and does not replace the set of rail connections interrupted between the capital and Andalucía.
Uber will maintain the special fare until the train starts running again
The company has expressly linked the duration of this initiative to the restoration of rail service between Madrid and Sevilla. Therefore, the fixed fare of 150 euros will remain available while the interruption of the high-speed connection continues, according to the information conveyed to its users.
The measure responds to the need to offer mobility solutions in an exceptional situation, after the railway tragedy has altered the travel of thousands of people.
"In view of the temporary interruption of the rail connection and with the aim of offering an additional alternative to those who need to travel, we have enabled a special service for trips between Madrid and Sevilla, and vice versa", explains Uber in its statement.
The company accompanies the announcement with a message of solidarity toward the victims of the accident and their families, while the investigation into the causes of the collision continues.
Uber's special service thus becomes a new alternative for traveling between Madrid and Sevilla by road, with a fixed price of 150 euros per vehicle that can be reduced to as little as 37.50 euros per person when shared among four passengers, pending the rail network regaining its usual operation.