Armenian taxi drivers protest over high fees

Taxi drivers in Armenia staged a protest in Yerevan on Monday, denouncing extortionate fees and inadequate social protections.

Yerevan City Council member Mesrop Manukyan, who met with the demonstrators, said around 120,000 drivers are registered with online taxi platforms, with at least 40,000 working 10-hour days and paying taxes. He noted that drivers hand over a minimum of 16.5% of their earnings to Yandex Taxi, an additional 1.8–4% to taxi fleets and pay 4–5% in state taxes.

Despite these payments, drivers are not considered formal employees, leaving them excluded from Armenia’s universal health insurance system and future pension benefits. Manukyan hit out at Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, stressing the need to review Yandex’s commission rates and ensure that tax-paying drivers receive access to healthcare and social security.