It will start in September. The taxi apocalypse is coming
From September, ordering a taxi in many Polish cities will be very difficult. Not only will you have to wait longer for a ride, but you will also face higher prices.
If you often use Bolt, Uber, iTaxi or FreeNow services, you may have a serious problem from September. Every third driver has disappeared from the market, so the wait for a taxi will be significantly longer. Prices will also increase, reports Rzeczpospolita.
Getting a taxi will be difficult
This situation is the result of new regulations that require drivers to have a Polish driving license. Meanwhile, the taxi market was largely occupied by foreigners. They can indeed obtain Polish licenses, but on condition that they have lived in the country for at least 6 months. The document itself also takes a while, so the time is additionally extended.
This is one of the reasons why, as estimated by Dun & Bradstreet (DNB), 2,455 companies in this industry have suspended their business since the beginning of 2024. These are mainly sole proprietorships. Another 600 have been liquidated, so in total, there are over 3,000 fewer drivers. This should include all those who worked on other contracts, so the scale of the problem is even greater.
According to estimates, the waiting time for a course has already increased by 60 percent, and prices have increased by 20 percent. It could get even worse in the coming months.
