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Travelers across Kazakhstan are noticing a significant jump in taxi fares, with prices increasing by 16.1% over the past year. This surge in cost is accompanied by a notable rise in demand for taxi services.

Demand and Price Increases

In the first four months of the year, the number of passengers using taxis grew by nearly 70%. This substantial increase has pushed the share of taxis in overall passenger transportation to 11.5%.

Factors Driving the Rise

Experts attribute this growth partly to the formalization of the taxi market. The introduction of platform-based work systems has led to an increase in official revenues and passenger flow. This shift from informal to formal services has contributed to the overall market expansion.

Regions Most Affected by Price Hikes

The steepest fare increases were observed in specific regions. Akmola region saw the highest jump at 45.3%. Following closely are Almaty city, with a 27.3% increase, and Atyrau region, experiencing a 25.4% rise.

Other major cities also saw price adjustments. Astana's taxi fares increased by 18%, while Shymkent experienced a 10.8% rise. The North Kazakhstan region recorded the lowest fare increase at just 2.2%.

Underlying Economic Pressures

Several economic factors are contributing to the escalating taxi prices. These include the rising costs of fuel and auto parts, increased driver wages, and higher commission fees charged by ride-hailing aggregators. Additionally, a growing demand for private transportation services and weaker competition among major carriers have allowed companies to implement price increases.

The average monthly increase in taxi prices has been around 1-2%, though a notable spike of 4.7% was recorded in June of the previous year.

This information was reported by Infohub.kz.