Is there Uber in Serbia? Transport options for expats and visitors in 2026: ride apps, taxis, free public transport in Belgrade, trains, buses and when you actually need a car

"Is there Uber in Serbia?" is the single most-asked transport question we get from people planning a move, and the answer has not changed in years: no. What has changed is almost everything else — Belgrade made its public transport free in 2025, the fast train now runs beyond Novi Sad to Subotica and on to Budapest, the intercity bus station moved to New Belgrade, and the metro finally has a contractor. This guide, current to September 2026, explains how expats and visitors actually get around Belgrade, Novi Sad and the rest of Serbia, what it costs, and how the transport question feeds into the bigger decisions of a relocation: where to live, whether to bring a car, and what your first weeks look like. It is informational; the practical side of a move — housing, registration, permits and, if you need one, your car — is what our relocation packages cover.

Is there Uber or Bolt in Serbia?

No. Uber has never launched in Serbia, and when Serbian media reported an imminent entry in 2024 the company denied it. Bolt does not operate in Serbia either: it recruited drivers in Belgrade in 2024, but as of September 2026 no Serbian city appears on its list of operating cities, while Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania and Greece do. The reason is legal rather than commercial. Since 2018 Serbia's passenger-transport rules reserve taxi services for companies and sole traders licensed by the local authority, with fares set by the city; a platform that lets private individuals drive for money has no lawful basis. That is why the apps that do work here all sit on top of the licensed taxi trade or on a different licence category.

How do taxis work in Serbia, and what do they cost?

Taxis are metered and the tariff is set by each city, so a legitimate Belgrade cab shows the same three numbers whichever company it belongs to. In 2026 the Belgrade tariff is 320 RSD to start, 105 RSD per kilometre by day, 135 RSD at night and 210 RSD outside the city, with waiting at 1,800 RSD per hour; Novi Sad is cheaper (280 RSD start, 85/110/150 RSD per km) and Niš cheaper still (190 RSD start, 70/80/120 RSD per km). A cross-town ride in Belgrade is typically 800–1,500 RSD (about €7–13); one dinar-euro rule of thumb is that 117 RSD ≈ €1. Every licensed taxi carries a roof sign with the city coat of arms, a visible tariff card and a meter; the driver's ID is displayed inside.

The one place to be careful is Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport. Do not accept a ride from anyone who approaches you in the terminal. The airport runs a fixed-price voucher system: e-kiosks in baggage claim and the arrivals hall print a voucher for your destination zone (in 2026 the city-centre and New Belgrade zones sit in the low-to-mid 2,000s RSD, roughly €20–25, for up to four passengers and luggage), you take it to the first taxi at the official rank in front of arrivals, and the driver may charge only the amount printed. Complaints go to the city's inspection secretariat. Yandex Go also picks up at the airport at the ordinary metered rate, which is usually a little less than the voucher.

Is public transport in Belgrade really free?

Yes. Since 1 January 2025 the City of Belgrade has charged no fare on its buses, trams, trolleybuses or the BG Voz suburban rail — for residents and visitors alike, with no card, ticket or registration required. You simply board. The city budgeted 48 billion RSD for public transport in 2026 and the scheme was still in force at the time of writing; critics note that ridership did not rise as hoped, which is a fair warning that quality, not price, is the constraint. The network is large (roughly 150 daytime lines, from about 4 a.m. to midnight, with a thinner night network that is also free), buses are the workhorse, trams serve the older core and the Sava riverside, and the E-numbered express minibuses and the A1 airport minibus are the exceptions that still charge — a few hundred dinars, in cash, to the driver.

Outside the capital, transport is cheap rather than free. Novi Sad's city buses (JGSP) run on a rechargeable card and the "Moj JGSP" app, with a single ride well under €1 and monthly passes from around 1,000 RSD for students; Niš, Kragujevac and Subotica have similar municipal systems. The practical point for anyone choosing a neighbourhood: in Belgrade, a flat on a tram or trolleybus line into the centre removes the car question for a single person or a couple; in Novi Sad, which is flat and compact, a bicycle does the same job for much of the year.

How good are the trains, and where do they go?

Serbia's railways were a punchline for thirty years; the Belgrade–Novi Sad rebuild changed that. The Soko InterCity runs at up to 200 km/h and covers Beograd Centar (Prokop) to Novi Sad in 36 minutes, with around 35 departures a day across Soko and slower Regio services, a second-class fare of roughly 660–770 RSD (about €6–7) depending on whether you buy in the Srbijavoz app, online or at the counter, first class around 1,050 RSD, 20% off returns and no on-board sales for InterCity (buy before boarding or pay a surcharge). The line was extended to Subotica in late 2024, and since 8 October 2025 you can travel Belgrade to Budapest by rail again — two departures a day, about six to seven hours with changes at Subotica and Szeged, €32 second class from Belgrade (€28 from Novi Sad). For a couple living in Novi Sad with one partner working in Belgrade, the Soko is the reason that arrangement works.

Elsewhere the network is slower and older: Belgrade–Niš is a bus journey in practice until the southern high-speed line is finished, and the routes to Bar (Montenegro) and Užice are scenic rather than fast. Belgrade's main station is Beograd Centar in Prokop, not the old riverside station; Novi Beograd station is the other stop for the fast trains.

What about intercity buses and the new Belgrade bus station?

Buses are how Serbia connects its towns. The Belgrade bus station moved on 29 September 2024 from the city centre to Block 42 in New Belgrade, next to the Novi Beograd railway station, with 65 platforms, a car park and a taxi rank; the permanent terminal building is due in 2027. Tram lines 7, 9, 11 and 13 and several bus lines (including line 600 to the airport) serve it, all free. From there, operators such as Lasta and Niš-Ekspres run to every regional town, to the coast in Montenegro and to Bosnia, Croatia, Hungary and Austria; tickets are sold at the station counters, on the BAS website and through the operators' apps. Belgrade–Novi Sad by bus takes about 80 minutes and costs a little more than the train; Belgrade–Niš is around three hours.

Do you need a car in Serbia as an expat?

In central Belgrade or Novi Sad, a single person or a couple usually does not, at least in the first year: transport is free or cheap, taxis are affordable, and parking in the centre is zoned, paid by SMS and scarce. The calculation changes with children, a home in the suburbs or a village, a job that involves site visits, or a wish to explore — Serbia's best places (Tara, the Danube gorge, the wine villages of Fruška Gora and Župa, the spa towns) are car country. If you do drive, three facts matter: your foreign licence is valid for a limited time after you get residence and can be exchanged without a test, a car on foreign plates cannot stay that way once you are resident, and importing your own car means customs duty, VAT and homologation. All three are explained in our guide to driving in Serbia as a foreigner; the import and registration itself is what our vehicle import and registration service does in-house. Buying locally is a real option — well-maintained cars are commonly sourced from Germany — and rental is straightforward at the airport and in both cities for anyone who needs a car only for weekends.

Cycling, scooters, walking and the metro that is finally coming

Novi Sad is one of the easiest cycling cities in the region: flat, with a dense lane network and a public bike scheme, and most residents use a bicycle for part of the year. Belgrade is hilly and its cycling infrastructure is patchy, though the Sava and Danube quays are excellent for leisure riding. Shared e-scooters come and go; the city has tightened rules on where they may be ridden and parked, and helmets and lights are enforced more than newcomers expect. Both city centres are walkable — Belgrade's Knez Mihailova, Dorćol, Vračar and the riverside; Novi Sad's old town and Liman — and walking is how most expats discover which neighbourhood they want. The Belgrade metro, promised since the 1970s, now has a signed contract: in March 2026 Alstom was awarded a €915 million contract for Line 1 (15 km, 15 stations, driverless trains, Makiško polje to Karaburma), tunnelling machinery was due on site in spring 2026, and the city's stated target for the first line is 2030. Treat that date as a target, not a fact, when choosing where to live.

How transport fits into your first months in Serbia

Week one is taxis and vouchers: airport, viewings, the police station for the white card registration, the bank. By week three most people have a routine on the free buses or trams, a Yandex Go account with a card attached, and an opinion about which tram line they want to live on. The Soko decides the Belgrade-or-Novi-Sad question for many couples; the car question is usually settled by the school and the neighbourhood rather than by preference. Relocation Serbia has offices in Belgrade and Novi Sad, so you can walk both cities with us, by appointment, before you sign a lease — or do it by video call from abroad. For the wider picture of what life here costs and feels like, see our cost of living guide, the honest pros and cons of living in Serbia, our safety guide, and for families the schooling guide. If your belongings — or your car — are coming with you, read shipping personal belongings to Serbia first.

Common mistakes newcomers make getting around Serbia

• Landing with only Uber and Bolt on the phone. Neither works. Install Yandex Go before you fly, add a card, and know where the voucher kiosks are.
• Taking the taxi that finds you. Touts in the terminal are the one reliable way to overpay. Use the voucher and the official rank.
• Looking for the old bus station. Intercity buses have left the centre; the station is in Block 42, New Belgrade, and has been since September 2024.
• Buying a Soko ticket on board. InterCity tickets are sold before departure only; boarding without one costs a surcharge.
• Choosing a flat by price alone. Free transport is only useful if you live on a line that runs where you need to go; check the route before the rent.
• Keeping the car on foreign plates. Fine for a visit, not for a resident — the licence and the plates both have clocks that start with your permit.

Written by the Relocation Serbia team. Last reviewed: September 2026. General information, not legal advice; fares, tariffs and timetables change and should be checked on the day. Sources: Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport passenger information (taxi voucher system); City of Belgrade and City of Novi Sad regulated taxi tariffs as published for 2026; City of Belgrade free public transport decision in force since 1 January 2025 and the 2026 city budget; Srbijavoz fares and timetables (Soko Belgrade–Novi Sad–Subotica; Belgrade–Budapest service from 8 October 2025); Belgrade bus station relocation to Block 42, New Belgrade (29 September 2024); Alstom Belgrade metro Line 1 contract (27 March 2026); Bolt's published list of operating cities and Serbian press reporting on Uber, Bolt, Yandex Go, CarGo and BlaBlaCar (2024–2026).