Recently, drivers for large taxi platforms have increasingly arrived at locations different from the requested pickup to use the app when a ride is ordered. Because of these mistakes, funds are sometimes charged to customers’ cards. Reviews of taxi companies often contain many complaints from unhappy riders.
On February 26, a post urged Yandex Go users to join in voicing concerns after experiences of waiting for a car that never arrived. The message suggested organizing a collective complaint to the prosecutor’s office to increase scrutiny of the service. It also noted that drivers from CIS countries were particularly involved in such cases.
A correspondent for socialbites.ca reported a similar incident, with 239 rubles deducted from a card after a ride was canceled because the vehicle was parked elsewhere. Yandex Go did not respond to questions about how such driver issues are resolved. (Source: socialbites.ca)
What taxi aggregators say
The Maxim taxi ordering service acknowledged that some drivers provide substandard service. They stated that while there are unscrupulous performers in every field, taxis are no exception, and efforts are made to create comfortable conditions for all users. (Source: Maxim press service)
Maxim noted that the platform employs several mechanisms to reduce situations where a driver arrives at an incorrect location to obtain compensation for an incomplete order. The company also clarified that penalties are not charged to users if an order is canceled, and drivers understand that such actions hurt earnings since there is no compensation for driving without completing the trip.
Questions about the situation with incorrect pickup locations went unanswered by other large aggregators, including Citymobil and Taxovichkof, when contacted by socialbites.ca. (Source: socialbites.ca)
Reasons to cancel orders
Anton Maksimov, who runs the Taxi Ombudsman Telegram channel, explained that drivers sometimes stop and wait for a passenger to cancel or explicitly ask for cancellation in order to avoid unprofitable orders such as short trips at low fares.
Nikolai Kodolov, chairman of the Moscow Taxi Union Dobro, shared this view. He gave an example of a driver who receives an unprofitable route from central Moscow to Lyubertsy and would rather not complete the trip if the rate does not improve. He noted that low fares, long-distance routes, and weak geolocation contribute to the problem of incorrect taxi delivery.
Maksimov described a recent issue where the Yandex Go app shows the exact address including the passenger entrance, but the map places the pickup point slightly off. Service rules require the car to go to the mapped point rather than the precise address, creating mismatch.
Kodolov added that the discrepancy between the displayed address and the navigator location is a system error. This is not limited to Moscow; drivers in St. Petersburg, Kazan, and other cities have reported similar problems. Navigation tends to struggle in dense city centers, and drivers unfamiliar with a city may end up at the wrong location.
Maksimov also noted that recently collectors have softened penalties for driver violations due to staff shortages and the economic impact of the ruble depreciation. He suggested that some migrant drivers can earn comparable income elsewhere and stay closer to family, such as in Tashkent.
What passengers should do
On the matter of responsibility, Maksimov advised that if a passenger is present and the driver is more than 300 meters away from the pickup point, no charge should be processed.
If a trip did not occur but payment was taken, he recommended filing a complaint with the collection authority under consumer protection laws, which should secure a refund when a service was not provided. (Source: Maksimov)