Famous travel blogger Foat Ishmukhametov and his wife arrived at Astana International Airport after a grueling transit flight and were met with threats from an intercity taxi driver. He called his opponents the "WhatsApp mafia," reports infohub.kz.
According to the blogger, he tried to book a ride from the capital to Kokshetau via the InDrive app. For the entire back seat — for the comfort of his wife and luggage — he offered 21,000 tenge, leaving the front seat for another passenger at 8,000 tenge. Ishmukhametov stressed that he considered this price fully adequate for such a route, but the driver was not satisfied with these terms.
"Instead of normal service, the driver started openly being rude on the phone and saying that for such conditions he would 'haul me in the trunk.' When I refused this inadequate character, the most interesting part began — they declared a boycott against me!" Ishmukhametov shared.
As it turned out, carriers have closed WhatsApp chats where they coordinate their actions and dictate prices. By colluding, drivers can simply refuse to take passengers on an entire route.
"This is not just rudeness — it's a real shadow conspiracy and a violation of consumer rights. If you don't dance to their tune, they try to 'block' you across an entire route," he added.
According to the blogger, InDrive takes a commission from orders but completely ignores safety and allows "gray" schemes to operate within its apps. Ishmukhametov called on the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Astana akimat, and the management of Astana Airport to restore order in intercity transportation.
The editorial team reached out to InDrive representatives for comment to obtain additional information.
Earlier in Astana, an inDrive taxi driver was given 10 days of administrative arrest for persistently making intimate offers to a female passenger.