Moscow taxi: today and a bit of history

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It's impossible today to imagine a reality in which you can't order a taxi in Moscow. "This cannot be, because it can never be" — as the wise Anton Chekhov once put it through the mouth of one of his characters.

A taxi is an affordable modern version of a magic wand, seven-league boots and even a flying carpet, all "in one bottle."

Running late for your train? — A cheap Moscow taxi will get you to the station fast.

Rushing to the airport? — Order an inexpensive taxi and you'll arrive at the airport right on schedule.

Need to get from point A to point B in slush and rain without ruining your expensive shoes? — Booking a cheap, prompt taxi will solve that problem.

Have you arrived in Moscow on a business trip? — No need to rack your brains over the "right" routes to get around; even a native Muscovite finds that hard to do. The taxi driver knows the way — order a cheap taxi in Moscow!

Booking a taxi today is affordable for any resident or visitor to the capital. Booking a taxi is cheap, fast, sensible and simply necessary given life in a megacity. Especially one like Moscow. After all, Moscow sets a special, fast pace of life, demanding that people move instantly over great distances without losing the inner energy so needed for success.

Today, using taxi services is inexpensive and so routine that it doesn't even occur to us that things weren't always this way. But once — they weren't!

A brief digression: a few interesting facts from the history of the Moscow taxi.

…The history of the Moscow taxi began in 1907, when the owner of a small Oldsmobile hung a sign on his car reading "Cabman. Fare by agreement." "Cheap" + "taxi" — at that time, such a combination was simply unthinkable.

By the start of 1913, a handful of "taxicabs" were already successfully cruising Moscow. Riding in a taxicab was considered the height of style, and the first Moscow taxis posed serious competition to the main means of getting around — the horse-drawn cab.

In 1917, the history of the taxi was cut short — this "attribute of bourgeois life" was struck from everyday life for a long time by the October coup.

The Moscow taxi's second birth came in the 1950s. Ever since, taxis have been driving through the capital's streets at any hour of the day or night, and their numbers keep growing every year. And if you type "cheap Moscow taxi" or "book a taxi cheap" into a browser's search bar today, Yandex will return a "hit count" of 4,919,000 pages, respectively.

What makes Moscow taxi services so appealing?

Ordering a taxi in Moscow isn't just a way to get around a big city.

Quality taxi service means:

  1. Travelling in comfort. A cheap taxi doesn't mean an "uncomfortable" one. Serious companies offering taxi services in Moscow care about passenger comfort regardless of the price bracket they operate in. Moscow taxi cars are fitted with climate control; on request, passengers are given a child car seat suited to the child's age. Pleasant, light music plays inside the taxi cabin — that too is one of the essential conditions for travelling in comfort.

  2. Promptness. Not everything cheap is a good taxi. Besides a carefully weighed approach to pricing, serious taxi companies know how to select competent staff. Drivers at such taxi firms know Moscow like the back of their hand. They know how to dodge the city's many-kilometre-long traffic jams by using courtyard cut-throughs or service roads running alongside the big highways, and get passengers to their destination quickly. Another essential requirement for promptness is a fast pickup. Most often, this figure doesn't exceed 20-30 minutes.

  3. Flexible pricing. In most cases, ordering a taxi is an affordable, inexpensive pleasure. What's more, regular and corporate customers can count on substantial discounts, making a taxi ride even more affordable.

  4. Safety. Moscow taxis undergo a mandatory technical inspection before going out on the road. And taxi drivers undergo a medical check-up. These measures are aimed at preventing any trouble on the road. Moscow taxi drivers are constantly in touch with the dispatch centre. First, this shortens pickup times — the car located closest is sent to the call. Second (and most importantly!), constant contact with the dispatcher is an added safety guarantee for both passengers and drivers. If something unforeseen happens to the car on the road, help arrives as quickly as possible.

Residents and visitors to the capital will surely need taxi help more than once — cheap, fast, efficient and comfortable. Don't skimp on comfort — use taxi services!

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