Taxi hailing app Yango, owned by Russian Internet giant Yandex, announced today that it is officially launching in Israel's taxi market. The service, which has been operating in Russia since 2010, where it is one of Israeli taxi hailing app Gett's main rivals, is also offered in several other countries.
Yango's app will offer a taxi within seven minutes. In some areas it will also offer a fixed price ahead of time, according to the time of day, but regardless of how heavy the traffic might be, and whether the driver needs to take a different route than that planned. Payment can be made in cash or by credit card.
In the first stage, Yango will operate in the Tel Aviv region, where it has already been operating a pilot, and subsequently it will launch in other cities around Israel. New customers are being offered 50% off their first five rides on fares of up to NIS 50. Yango is also making special offers to drivers prepared to work exclusively with it, although most drivers are expected to work with both Yango and Gett. Yandex said that the Kastel Taxi Association has already signed up with it as well as other major taxi stations. In total yango says it has more than 2,000 drivers.
Sources in the taxi market say that the entry of Yango into the Israeli market will put local taxi hailing app Gett under pressure on its home turf, after both companies have been battling it out in the Russian market for the past six years.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on December 10, 2018
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