In my first-year Russian textbook, an entire chapter was devoted to hailing taxis on the facet of the highway. Hitchhiking turned an nearly formalized system of transportation within the Soviet Union because of the lack of inexpensive and well-connected transit choices to journey lengthy distances in additional distant areas. My Russian professor skipped this part completely, noting that the textbook was a bit outdated and that hardly anybody in Russia used this type of transportation anymore following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the appearance of far safer and extra dependable transportation choices.
What my Russian professor failed to contemplate, nevertheless, is that shared taxis are a ubiquitous type of transportation in lots of former Soviet republics the place infrastructure is weak and vehicles are costly. In Uzbekistan, for instance, shared taxis are the primary type of intercity transportation, although the nation has an environment friendly and well-connected high-speed rail system. Though shared taxis do not need a set worth, it’s usually cheaper for locals to barter the value of a seat in a taxi than it’s to take the prepare, which could be as much as 4 instances the common worth of a shared taxi per seat.
Whereas shared taxis are nonetheless commonplace for each inter- and inner-city journey, the arrival of ridesharing apps in Uzbekistan is altering the transportation scene. YandexGo, the ridesharing subsidiary of Russia’s largest know-how firm, started working in Uzbekistan in April 2018. Beginning in Tashkent and Samarkand, the app has expanded to 10 cities countrywide as of 2024, together with regional capitals like Nukus and Andijan.
Though costs on YandexGo are usually larger than what one would possibly pay if they simply stand on the facet of the highway and hail a taxi, the app gives a number of tangible advantages for Uzbekistan’s financial growth. Centralized marketplaces for taxi drivers enable drivers to choose up rides when handy for them, moderately than aimlessly driving round and searching for clients, which finally streamlines enterprise for drivers and gives a uniform mannequin of transit for passengers.
The financial disparity between extra developed regional capitals and smaller cities is extremely stark. The wage hole between the richest area in Uzbekistan (Tashkent) and the poorest (Surkhandarya) greater than doubled between 2020 and 2024. Poverty can be concentrated in rural areas that proceed to be left behind by technological and infrastructure developments, like YandexGo, additional exacerbating the rising financial divide between rural and concrete areas.
In keeping with the World Financial institution, Uzbekistan’s want to halve the poverty charge by 2026 and attain upper-middle-income standing by 2030 will require the federal government to empower the non-public sector and transfer towards a extra equitable financial mannequin. Whereas these reforms are obligatory throughout all sectors, the taxi trade represents one space the place this objective has been achieved, largely because of the emergence of on-line aggregators like YandexGo.
One important good thing about the rising recognition of on-line taxi app companies is the rising variety of feminine drivers. Options of YandexGo that defend passengers from harassment and crime additionally defend drivers, which is very vital for girls in each positions, who face excessive charges of sexual harassment and assault in Uzbekistan. Larger security measures for girls within the office are essential to enhance the participation of girls within the labor power, which is a central driver of financial progress in growing international locations. As well as, the self-employed, fare-based mannequin of taxi driving decreases the probability of wage theft and gender-based development discrimination, that are two of the best issues going through ladies who enter the workforce.
When it comes to growth, transportation infrastructure is very obligatory for overseas employees and traders. American funding in Uzbekistan surged in 2018, and never simply in Tashkent. Some smaller cities, like Gulistan and Jizzakh, each of that are district-level capitals, are dwelling to a number of overseas companies. Regardless of the inflow of foreigners working at such institutions, the cities are outdoors the working space of YandexGo, and it’s nonetheless being decided when they are going to be added to the service zone. This poses an issue for overseas employees, who’re already usually charged above the market charge for hire and subjected to excessive registration charges for residency.
For foreigners, hailing taxis is a day by day supply of hysteria. To hail a taxi, one wants substantial language expertise. Foreigners can be victims of scams and overcharging for taxi rides and sometimes lack the language expertise to adequately negotiate. Not like typical ridesharing apps, a consumer can not complain if the motive force is impolite, unsafe, or harasses passengers. The options that make ridesharing apps so handy — corresponding to coming into a precise pickup or drop-off location — are absent when hailing a taxi the old school manner, and are changed by in-person interactions. Though these small interactions could not appear important, the potential of sexual harassment for girls and overseas employees vastly will increase when they’re unable to report drivers. Taxis in Uzbekistan are additionally nearly at all times shared until one specifies that they wish to purchase out your complete taxi and pay 4 instances the usual worth, which additionally vastly will increase the potential of harassment and gives exit alternatives within the occasion of a harmful state of affairs.
The shared nature of taxis in Uzbekistan leaves a big diploma of unpredictability in transport. On inner-city journeys, it might take considerably longer some days to get to your vacation spot relying on who else is within the automotive and the place they should be dropped off. On intercity journeys, riders are on the whim of their drivers, who could make random stops or decide up further passengers.
In cities with YandexGo, some individuals choose to hail a taxi anyway, as a result of lengthy wait instances or lack of accessible drivers in locations the place YandexGo shouldn’t be but the norm. Some choose to barter a worth, saying they will get a decrease fare than what’s calculated on the app, whereas some drivers are reluctant to pay a share of their earnings to the corporate.
Whereas costs on YandexGo may be larger than taking a shared taxi, the ride-hailing app possesses most of the options obligatory to satisfy the calls for of passengers in a quickly rising nation. To satisfy the demand for higher reliability, comfort, and luxury in transportation, many cities have their very own taxi companies, which cost fares in response to a standardized meter and function with an official taxi placard on their roof. To make the most of these companies, clients must telephone a name heart, the place they’re linked to an operator who asks the place they’re at the moment positioned, the place they wish to go, and different logistical questions like variety of passengers or baggage wants. The operator then connects the caller on to a driver, who asks most of the identical questions however with extra element, and normally will give an estimated wait time.
These taxi name facilities, that are in style in smaller cities, primarily perform the identical perform as a ride-hailing app. Passengers can order a taxi at any time of day, whereas it’s practically inconceivable to hail a taxi early within the morning or previous sunset. They’ll additionally request particular varieties of vehicles and do not need to share with another passengers, nor have they got to attend for drivers to replenish a automotive earlier than leaving. Passengers pay a set worth, with a set beginning worth that will increase primarily based on time spent in transit.
A name heart may be a brief answer to most of the issues that hailing cabs from the highway poses — corresponding to the potential of unregistered drivers, aggressive drivers or passengers, or unfair costs. As well as, clients may name the taxi operators to report drivers for unsafe conduct or harassment, offering figuring out info and plate numbers to make sure the motive force shouldn’t be employed once more.
Name facilities, nevertheless, nonetheless don’t match as much as ride-hailing apps in terms of comfort and security, particularly for these missing language expertise. Overseas employees are one of many demographics most affected by this. With out language expertise and data of the native panorama, it’s practically inconceivable for such employees to name a taxi and clarify their must a number of totally different operators and drivers. Within the occasion of harassment, it’s unlikely they will complain to the corporate or take any motion.
As Uzbekistan pushes to develop into international markets, overseas corporations are opening throughout the nation, even in much less developed areas. With inner-city journey nonetheless largely depending on an off-the-cuff taxi-hailing system, overseas employees are sometimes left motionless or sufferer to cost gouging. Taxi drivers should adapt to a brand new demographic of residents who are usually not comfy hailing rides from the facet of the highway, haggling in a language they could not communicate, and trusting drivers with out navigation apps. Overseas funding is a vital step in higher financial growth, particularly in rural areas with a number of overseas curiosity however insufficient infrastructure.
To extend general financial growth in Uzbekistan, and to construct higher equality in rural Uzbekistan, distant areas should be added to YandexGo’s service zone. It’s unclear when areas like Jizzakh, Sirdaryo, Surkhandarya, or Khorazm would possibly achieve entry to a centralized taxi-hailing service. Till then, each potential riders and taxi drivers searching for a fare will finally be at a drawback and subjected to antiquated, inconvenient transport choices.
If extra distant areas can not adapt to the wants of adjusting demographics and labor power wants, these areas will proceed to be much less aggressive within the nationwide economic system, thus perpetuating the cycle of inequality between areas of Uzbekistan.
