How to Get a Taxi in Kazakhstan
Taxi services are quite popular in Kazakhstan. Locals often rely on taxis to get around the city, and so do tourists. Nowadays, calling a taxi has become much simpler and less risky than it was a decade ago, all thanks to the digitization of services and the launch of mobile apps. In this article, we've gathered the most important facts about taxis in Kazakhstan that you'll want to know before arriving in the country.
Taxi Apps
The most popular app for calling taxis in Kazakhstan is the Russian service Yandex GO. It's a versatile app that not only allows you to call taxis but also track public transport movements, order food, rent scooters, and even call couriers. Simply download the app from the App Store or Play Market and start using it! It's intuitive and supports the English language. It's important to note that when registering in the Yandex GO app, you'll need a Kazakhstani phone number.
In addition to Yandex GO, Uber operates in Kazakhstan. Legally, it's the same company in Kazakhstan, so the prices in both apps are approximately the same, but Uber rides are often slightly cheaper.
Airport Taxis
The most important rule when traveling from the airport to the city is not to accept the intrusive offers from private taxi drivers to take you. Trust me, as soon as you collect your luggage and leave the arrival terminal, taxi drivers will swarm you with calls of 'taxi, taxi, where to?'. At best, a ride with a private taxi driver will be more expensive (no less than 5000 tenge from the airport to the city center – about $11), and at worst, you may get into trouble when the taxi driver refuses to let you out of the car until you pay an additional $100-200!
So, rule number one upon arrival in Kazakhstan is to use an app, preferably Uber, as it's likely already installed on your phone. Or, if you buy a SIM card at the airport, you can register in the Yandex app.
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When Is It Justified to Take a Bus or Metro?
Public transport in Almaty and Nur-Sultan is highly developed. If it's not rush hour (from 7 to 10 in the morning and from 5 to 8 in the evening), there's a chance to conveniently reach your destination by bus or metro. The Almaty Metro is a separate topic; locals consider it a city landmark, so it's definitely worth descending there.
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In the Yandex GO app mentioned above, there's a section for Public Transport, where you can track the movement of all buses in real-time to estimate arrival times and follow the route. The cost of a bus ride in Almaty is 200 tenge when paying cash to the driver (less than $0.5), even cheaper in Nur-Sultan and other cities. However, all Kazakhs use local transport cards, top up the balance, and pay twice as cheaply.
Scooters as an Alternative to Transport
In the warm season, when there's no ice on the roads, Almaty, Nur-Sultan, and major cities in Kazakhstan are teeming with scooters. They are scattered throughout the streets, and you can easily find a free scooter nearby. To start moving, you need to activate the scooter through the app (the aforementioned Yandex GO app, besides taxi booking, also has an option for scooter rental).
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Together with Yandex, in Almaty, there are scooter rental services like Whoosh, Jet, and Eleven. Simply download the app of any service from the App Store and Google Play, scan the scooter's QR code, and activate it. At the end of the trip, the rental fee will be deducted from the card linked in the app. Prices for scooter rental vary between services, but on average, an hour of riding costs $5-6.
It's important to note that city authorities have introduced a ban on scooter riding in some urban areas, such as parks and squares. You'll get fined for riding there.
Once reached your destination, you should leave the scooter in the designated zone shown on the map.
How to Order Taxis to Tourist Destinations?
If you want to travel from Astana to Borovoe (a distance of 256 km), or from Shymkent to Turkestan (170 km), but don't want to overpay using the Yandex GO service (because a trip through it will cost you between $30-70 depending on the tariff), then an excellent solution would be to use inDrive. You need to register in the app, specify your destination, and set the price you're willing to pay. Drivers will see your message and contact you. This way, you can save up to 2 or even more times.
Also, you can Google "taxi Astana Borovoe" and find ads (for example, on the satu.kz website) from private taxi drivers who take tourists to these destinations. By contacting the driver in advance and discussing the price, you can organize your trip for the day and time you need. However, there are a couple of nuances here. The first is that you need to know the local language (Kazakh or Russian) to negotiate with the driver. The second is that you assume all risks solely on yourself.
Taxis to Satellite Cities of Almaty
Around Almaty, there are many small cities such as Kapchagay, Talgar, Issyk, Taldykorgan, and others. If you need to travel to one of them and want to save money, you can catch a ride at the Sayahat bus station (address: Suyunbay Avenue 15, intersection with Rayymbek Avenue). Right along Suyunbay Street, slightly north of Rayymbek, there are usually people who catch passing cars with raised hands. One car can take up to 3-4 passengers, so don't be surprised if several completely unfamiliar people join your ride.
The fare from Sayahat to the center of one of the small cities starts from $1 per person, but it all depends on the driver – they can set the price at their discretion. But if the taxi driver demands $5 or more from you, you should refuse the trip and try to catch another ride.
Hailing Taxis on the Street
Five to seven years ago, before the emergence of services like Uber and Yandex, in Almaty and Astana, taxis were "called" only by approaching the roadside, raising your hand, and flagging down passing cars.
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Moreover, most of them were not specialized taxi vehicles but ordinary city residents who earned extra money by driving people to their destinations. Today, this practice is fading away, as many Kazakhs (and almost all tourists) use apps to order taxis. However, if you want to feel like a Kazakh from the 2000s and save 20-40% on the trip cost, you can try this method of hailing a taxi.
Safety Rules in Taxis
If you use services like Uber and Yandex, you're almost safe. Even if you leave something in the car, there's an option to send a message to customer support, and they'll return your item. But if you get into a car with a private taxi driver, you're absolutely not protected from any force majeure events. However, such force majeure cases with taxi drivers are not so common. In Kazakhstan, people are not kidnapped, as in some African or Arab countries, and there's relatively little crime against foreigners. But still, it's not advisable for women to travel alone in a private taxi, especially out of town and during the dark season. You shouldn't drink the drinks offered by drivers or indulge in the snacks they offer, as this is a common practice worldwide where criminals sedate victims by adding sedatives to drinks. But there's no need to panic; Kazakhstan is not such a dangerous place.