Mobile based taxi ordering apps are taking over the market run by traditional taxi companies.
Uber, and Yandex Taxi are changing the market by creating a greater interaction and choice between customers and their drivers. Customers can now see the reviews of the potential taxi driver, and need not waste time haggling for the price or worrying about their safety.
In Moscow now there are even taxis which cater exclusively to women with exclusively female drivers.
Cashless payments offered by Uber services are an added convenience for the customers.
Moscow had a problem as up to 30 minutes wait for the taxi was not unusual. However, Uber and similar services have solved that problem by connecting customers with the nearest driver.
According to the reports from last year Moscow had 55,000 registered taxi drivers.
This number has sharply risen due to “Uberification”. The result is significant price drop of taxi rides, and in a lot of cases, better comfort for the customers. The price drop is reflected in many other major cities such as London.
Last February Moscow saw taxi drivers protesting against online based taxi services, complaining that their daily revenue dropped by about 30 percent.
Anecdotal reports suggest that prices have dropped substantially, up to 50% since taxi ordering apps were introduced.