Taxis in Georgia: Bolt, Yandex Go, Prices and Street Taxis

Taxis in Georgia are cheap and convenient if you book them through an app: a ride around central Tbilisi costs 4-7 lari, across the whole centre 8-15 lari, and you see the price before the car even arrives. The people who overpay are usually those who get into a street taxi at the airport or station without agreeing on a fare.

Below, step by step: which apps work and in which cities, what typical rides cost, how to tell a licensed street taxi, how to pay, and how to travel with a child.

Which Apps Work

Uber does not work in Georgia: the regular app will not find a single car. Instead there are three services, and all of them show the final price before you book.

It is easiest to keep two apps on your phone and compare the price before booking. None of them works without mobile data, so it is best to buy a SIM card in Georgia right after you land.

What a Ride Costs

The average price in the apps is about 1.5-2 lari per kilometre. In rain, at rush hour and after midnight a surge multiplier applies and the price can rise 1.5-2 times, but it is still shown before you book. Bolt benchmarks for autumn 2026:

Yandex Go is usually 10-20% cheaper on the same routes. From all three of Georgia's airports there is also a bus into town: in Tbilisi it is bus 337 for 1 lari, which takes about an hour to the centre.

Street Taxis

Since 1 October 2019, only white licensed taxis with a roof sign may pick up passengers on the street in Tbilisi. Cars of other colours can also be taxis, but they are only allowed to work on orders through the apps.

Georgian taxis have no meters, so the fare is agreed verbally. Settle it before you get in, otherwise the amount at the end of the ride can be anything. A good benchmark is to name a price about 1.5 times what Bolt shows for the same route.

The main trap is at the airport and the station. Drivers at the Tbilisi terminal exit quote newcomers 200-380 lari for a ride that costs 30-40 lari through an app. A Bolt driver picks you up on the road right outside the arrivals hall, with no separate car park and no airport surcharge.

The apps work around the clock, but there are fewer cars at night, especially in residential districts and out of town. If you have an early flight or train, order a taxi 20-30 minutes before leaving home rather than at the last moment.

Payment and Tips

All three apps accept card or cash. Visa and Mastercard work, Russian Mir cards do not. If you pay in cash, carry small notes: drivers often have no change.

Tipping in taxis is optional. If you liked the ride, Bolt lets you add a tip within 15 minutes after it ends, and in cash people usually just round up.

Safety and Travelling with Children

An app taxi is safer than a street one: the route is recorded, the price is fixed and the driver and plate are known in advance. Before you get in, check the plate and model against the app, and you can share the ride with family straight from the app.

Ordinary taxis and Bolt almost never have child seats, and carrying a child without one is fined. Yandex Go has a Kids tariff: when booking you can choose one or two seats for the child's age. If you need taxis often, it is simpler to buy a compact folding seat.

Between Cities

An app taxi also works for trips out of town: to Mtskheta, to Kutaisi Airport or from Kutaisi to Tbilisi. For long routes a transfer with a driver at a fixed price is more convenient: to Kakheti from 170 lari per car, from Tbilisi to Kutaisi from 220 lari. To drive yourself, car rental in Georgia starts at 25 dollars a day out of season.

If you travel alone or as a couple, the train, bus or minibus (marshrutka) is cheaper: the Stadler train to Batumi costs from 35 lari, and marshrutkas run to almost every town. It is the cheapest way to travel between cities in Georgia.

In Short

• Book taxis through Bolt, Yandex Go or Maxim: the price is shown in advance, Uber does not work
• Central Tbilisi 4-7 ₾, across the centre 8-15 ₾, from the airport 30-40 ₾
• On the street in Tbilisi only white licensed taxis pick up passengers, agree the fare before getting in
• Do not get into a car with drivers at the airport exit: they ask 5-10 times more
• You can pay with Visa or Mastercard, tipping is optional
• A child seat is only available in the Yandex Go Kids tariff