St Lucia gov’t says no permission granted to Uber to operate in the island
Published:Tuesday | February 3, 2026 | 5:05 PM
CASTRIES, St Lucia, CMC – The St Lucia government says it gave no permission to the American multinational transportation company Uber to begin operations in the country.
“I want to … make it very clear that contrary to what you’ve been hearing, reading from various sources, that the Government of St Lucia has not in any way approved, sanctioned, or encouraged Uber to operate any service in St Lucia,” Tourism Minister Dr Ernest Hilaire told reporters.
He said the Phillip J Pierre administration has not in “any way approved, sanctioned or encouraged Uber to operate any service in St Lucia” amid mounting public debate over the ride-hailing company’s recent launch.
He said Uber first made contact with the government last December, indicating that it was interested in setting up a service on the island.
“They described themselves as a technology platform that offers transportation for people who want to move from point A to point B. We indicated to them then that we would be reviewing their intention and that we shall have discussions with them
“They sent in a second note indicating that there has been substantial interest in St Lucia from taxi associations and individual taxi drivers. So they were going to move ahead, and again we told them that we would want to discuss the matter with the stakeholders and with Uber itself”.
Hilaire told reporters that last weekend, the government got a notice from Uber saying “they were launching their service the following day.
“We indicated to them that we were planning to meet with them to discuss the matter in detail and that they should not proceed,” he said, adding that a meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday with the national taxi association.
He said he is hoping by next week Monday to provide an update to the population on the matter.
“Again, I want to make it very clear that the government has not approved, encouraged, or sanctioned Uber operating any service in St Lucia,” Hilaire told reporters.
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