“We Won't Drive For Nothing”: Taxi Drivers Strike In Zhodzina

Yandex Go drivers do not return to work.

In Zhodina today, some Yandex Go taxi drivers did not return to work again. They told zerkalo.io that the ride-hailer “promised to improve working conditions, but in fact nothing has changed”. Taxi drivers stopped working some days in early May because their wages have changed. Such a situation was in Zhodina, Ivatsevichy, Babruisk, Baranavichy.

What happened?

At the end of April, Yandex Go announced the optimization of tariffs in some cities of Belarus, “in order to partially compensate for changes in fuel prices and car maintenance and to keep the cost of travel affordable for users”.

At the same time, the Yandex Go service changed the guaranteed daily payment for drivers. In some cities, it was reduced, and somewhere (for example, in Zhodina) it was completely cancelled. Also the ride-hailer lowered tariffs for passengers that reflected on the salary of drivers — it became less. Taxi drivers complain that they cannot earn enough money now even with a full shift , and the prices for fuel and car maintenance have been constantly rising in the past few months.

Yandex Go stated that with the new tariffs, drivers' earnings will increase by five percent.

"We won't drive for nothing" The opinion of drivers from Zhodzina

Zhodina drivers reported that today some of them did not come to work again. The reason for this is the same - dissatisfaction with wages. It turns out that after the protests, Yandex Go returned a daily guaranteed payment of 140 rubles for them. They need to complete 40 trips (previously there were 35 trips) in order to get it, and the fare for passengers was left the same.

"Trips for passengers come out at 1.2-1.4 rubles. And gasoline rises in price, amortisation must be paid. We call and write to passengers that we will not take orders for this. People are outraged because someone is ready to pay 3.5 rubles, as in ordinary taxi services, but you can’t call a car there," the divers say.

Drivers want Yandex Go to listen to their requests and equalise the trip around the city with other Zhodina taxi services, and also return paid car deliveries.

“A lot of experienced drivers have left, young part-timers are coming who work under other people’s accounts, they don’t know the specifics of working in a taxi at all, they are ready to work and kill cars for 1.2 rubles,” Yandex Go taxi drivers claim.