Hi Can anyone tell me if Uber is big in Portland? In other words - is it there and can I rely on it - or should I rent a car. I'm just going to be in town for a few days. No big excursions - just want to get from here to there without too much trouble. Thanks!

I can't tell you about uber- but I will say that between the max light rail and walking (provided you are staying somewhere central or at least near the max lines) I've rarely needed a car in Portland. Very pedestrian friendly. It's not difficult to drive or find parking- it's just that walking and public transit is usually much cheaper and convenient.

Uber was just allowed to start operating here. I have not used it here, but we use it in Seattle all the time. Many people here are excited for Uber. I would not hesitate to use it here if I needed to go somewhere further than the downtown/21st areas. As mentioned, Max and the streetcar are super easy to use though, and very cheap. We rarely even use those since walking is so easy.

If you are going to stay in the downtown area and want to visit say the gorge or somewhere a bit further out, I would not opt for Uber though. In that case rent a car for a day.

Enjoy!

You can get from the airport west as far as Beaverton or south as far as Milwaukie on the TriMet system ($5/day).
I don't know if Uber is even allowed to pick up at the airport.
If you want to go east on I-84 to see the waterfalls, rent a car.

We used Uber in Portland without any problems last year. Plenty of drivers it seemed.

Last year Uber was here, but operating illegally. They were just given the red light to operate legally here on a temporary basis, depending upon how it goes.

What does that mean?

"... given the red light to operate legally"

Red, green, lol! Yeah a brain lapse They were given the GREEN light.

OK Thanks. I will see how it goes.