Taxis in All Their Diversity

In every city, whether it is a capital or a small town, there are taxi services. Ordering a taxi today is very simple – you just need to dial the number, provide your destination, travel time, and the number of passengers. After that, you leave your contact phone number, on which the dispatcher will call you back and inform you when the car has arrived, the car’s color, and its license plate. After the trip, you pay the required amount in cash directly to the driver.

The modern world dictates its own rules, and therefore taxi services offer many additional services. Companies provide services for weddings and other festive events, but when planning such an event, it is best to arrange it with the company in advance, as on certain popular days there may be no free cars available. They also offer the option to choose a specific car brand, many decorate cars for weddings, and organize intercity trips. Of course, going by taxi to another city is somewhat more expensive, but the comfort is incomparable with that of bus travel. If you need to arrange a small excursion, the taxi service will also help – you can rent a minibus, and most companies can even provide a guide.

Before New Year’s Eve, taxi services offer another interesting option – grocery delivery. You can call the dispatcher, order a specific set of products (you will be informed if there are any restrictions), and wait for the driver to arrive with a receipt, with which you pay both for the goods and the delivery service. The same applies to medicines when someone needs to buy drugs but cannot go to the pharmacy.

Moscow, St. Petersburg, and some other major cities have taxi services that provide dispatchers who speak foreign languages, most often English, to assist foreign customers.

Today taxis offer many other additional services, such as entertainment during the ride. In the capital, there are "cinema taxis," where passengers can watch a movie during the trip. The cars are comfortable, and passengers enjoy convenience throughout the film or journey. Many use this service, for example, when traveling between museums while watching a movie in transit. Taxi drivers also offer a popular service for those who have had a good time in bars or restaurants – driving clients home in their own car.

Minibus taxis also belong to the taxi service, though they are less comfortable and do not operate around the clock. In Moscow, another type of taxi is expected to appear soon – air taxis, which will carry businesspeople from one city to another. Air taxis already exist, but they are not accessible to everyone; it is expected that over time this service will become more affordable.

In Russia and some other countries, such as New Zealand and North America, there is also water taxis. In Venice, small motorboats operate as water taxis, working under the same system as our regular land transport. There are also larger vessels, called "water trams," which can carry up to 200 passengers at once. You can explore the whole variety of taxis in Moscow, where there is a "Taxi Museum" featuring rare and unusual exhibits, such as the domestic "Taxi-VNIITE" car.