Taxi scams in Russia

Last updated on 11 Aug 2019

Moscow, Sochi, St. Petersburg

How it works:

Taxis here do not use meters. If you do not speak Russian, you will probably be quoted an inflated flat fare.
For instance, a Chilean journalist was charged $900 for a ride from the Domodedovo airport to his hotel in the city – 50x the real price!

Places to beware:

Anywhere (e.g. tourist attractions, hotels, airports, transportation hubs)

What to do:

Avoid: taxis at tourist spots (e.g. Moscow: Red Square).
Photo: take a photo of the taxi number and driver’s license.
Overcharging: research a fair price to negotiate with – check online fare estimators, your hotel/hostel staff or taxi booking apps (e.g. Yandex, Gett).
Alternative: GetYourGuide (best day tour platform in Europe) has 40+ transport options.

Tell us your story

2 user stories related to this scam

Nieveszky Prospect

gonz 21 Feb 2018 2 0

Under my better judgement, I found myself needing a taxi around 2am on a Saturday morning. I found a taxi at the corner of Nevsky. For some reason, the taxi driver asked to see my phone (once I was in the car). I gave it up, and he pocketed it. Once at my destination, he didn’t say a word. He just sped off in order to keep me in the taxi. I yelled and demanded that he let me out, but he just yelled back at me in Russian. I didn’t know what to think. I was pretty buzzed.

After several minutes, I suddenly reached over to grab the phone. The taxi driver swerved along the road as we struggled over the phone. Finally, I got the phone out of his hand and rushed out of the taxi. I didn’t even run or anything. I was pretty buzzed as I walked away to find a calm spot in order to look at my phone.

Guess what? It was the taxi driver’s. Now I was stuck out in St. Petersburg around 3 in the morning with a phone that I couldn’t even use! The adventure began….I eventually made it back to my hotel at 6 am. The crazy thing is that I flew out of Russia that morning at 11am. I’ll be more careful next time!

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Today I was victim of a taxi robbery

bea 11 Oct 2017 2 0

It was pouring rain and I flagged down a taxi from the Hermitage to my hotel the Belmond Europa, which is no more than 2 miles away and I was charged the astronomical amount of 130 Euros for the ride. I had made the same ride in the morning to the museum and was charged 10 Euros. The driver locked the doors and and the windows and I was unable to get down from the taxi or yell to the hotel doorman about the robbery. When I told him I didn´t have enough cash in rubles he said he would take a credit card. I thought about my credit card in the hands of this crook. He then said he would accept euros at a most stupid rate of exchange. This was all so very bizarre. I was trapped with no way out but to pay whatever the guy wanted. Finally I was able to find another 1000 rubles and was left out of the car. Beware, do not flag down a taxi in Russia. If you do, be sure to set up the rate before the trip. I had been adivsed about taxi drivers in Moscow, but I didn´t think the problem existed also in Saint Petersburg!!!

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Taxi scams in Russia

2 user stories related to this scam

Nieveszky Prospect

Today I was victim of a taxi robbery

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