Do yourself a favor and download the gg - Transportation Service app. It's the Uber of Armenia and will come in handy as soon as you arrive. Yandex.Taxi is also worth noting if gg drivers are busy, but I prefer gg to support home-grown IT!

 

To order a ride, open gg/Yandex, confirm your pickup location and select a ride. You can enter your destination as well, but it's not mandatory. Both apps accept cash if you don't want to link a credit card to them. In fact, stick to cash and pay in coins/small bills. Your driver will open a meter on his phone at your destination to let you know how much you owe.

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Between gg and Yandex, you'll have a cab at your door within minutes. If it's rush hour, though, you're probably better off walking or taking the Metro because traffic in Yerevan is bad.

 

The standard fare for a ride of up to 5 km in a sedan across Yerevan is ֏600 ($1.25). Each additional km costs ֏100 ($0.21), but Yerevan is small, so getting around shouldn't cost much more. Use Google Maps to show drivers where you're headed if you don't speak Armenian or Russian. It's the best tool for cracking language barriers when you're trying to get somewhere.

 

Beware of hailing cabs off the street because many of them don't have meters and may charge laughable prices. If you're in a hurry, though, and have no other choice in that moment, ask the driver if his car has a meter ('hahshvich'). If it does, then hop on in! If it doesn't, you can either refuse to get in the car and find another cab or try to negotiate price before hopping in using the estimates above. Just ensure whoever you're dealing with has change ('mahnr' or 'kopek') if you choose the latter.

 

If your driver is friendly and you enjoyed your ride, be it in a gg, Yandex or rogue taxi (assuming you haven't been ripped off), feel free to leave a tip (typically an extra ֏100-֏200, or 15-20%). Tipping culture is relatively new to Armenia, but certainly not mandatory as you'd assume elsewhere.

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Republic Square, 6.2013