Taxis in Georgia in 2026, which app to use and when to book a transfer

Which taxi apps work in Georgia in 2026?

Three ride apps work in Georgia in October 2026. Bolt has the most cars and covers the most places, and Yandex Go and Maxim are the backups. Bolt's own list has ten places in Georgia, namely Tbilisi, Batumi, Kutaisi, Rustavi, Gori, Zugdidi, Poti, Telavi, Bakuriani and Gudauri with Stepantsminda (Kazbegi). Yandex Go works in Tbilisi, Batumi and Kutaisi. Maxim lists 21 towns, among them Batumi, Kutaisi, Telavi, Gori and Akhaltsikhe.

Uber does not work in Georgia. In 2018 it merged its business here with Yandex, and Yandex Go took its place.

Install Bolt before the trip and log in while your home SIM still works, because Bolt and Yandex Go confirm a new account with an SMS code. Both apps run in English, Russian and Georgian and show the price before you order. If you land without mobile data, the free Wi-Fi at Tbilisi Airport is enough to order a car. In Tbilisi, Bolt's Taxi Tbilisi category uses licensed taxis that may drive in the bus lanes, which saves time at rush hour.

Transfer

Tbilisi Airport → Tbilisi

≈ 25 min20 kmfrom $50from €45from ₾135

Which apps work in Batumi, Kutaisi, Kazbegi, Gudauri, Borjomi, Sighnaghi and Mestia?

In Batumi and Kutaisi all three apps work. In Kazbegi and Gudauri Bolt has only a few cars, and in Borjomi, Sighnaghi and Mestia you rely on local taxis that wait in the centre or that your guesthouse calls. Here is the picture in October 2026, place by place.

• Batumi. Bolt, Yandex Go and Maxim all work. A ride from Batumi Airport to the centre is usually 10 to 15 GEL. In summer there are plenty of cars, out of season expect to wait longer. More in Batumi Airport to the city.
• Kutaisi. Bolt, Yandex Go and Maxim all work. Bolt from Kutaisi Airport to the centre costs about 25 to 30 GEL, and the airport shuttle 5 GEL. More in getting from Kutaisi Airport.
• Kazbegi (Stepantsminda). Bolt works but has only a few drivers. A ride around town costs 15 to 25 GEL. The 4x4s for Gergeti wait on the main square and charge about 15 to 25 GEL a seat or 50 to 100 GEL for the car up and back. For Juta and Truso, ask your guesthouse for a driver. More in Kazbegi sights.
• Gudauri. Bolt lists Gudauri together with Stepantsminda, but drivers are few, and travellers report Yandex Go cars that accept the order and never come. A taxi inside the resort costs about 10 to 20 GEL a ride, agreed with the driver. More in Gudauri in winter.
• Borjomi. Borjomi is on neither Bolt's nor Maxim's list, though a few Bolt cars sometimes show up. Local taxis wait by the bus station. A taxi up to Bakuriani costs 50 to 70 GEL, and Bakuriani itself is on Bolt's list. More in Borjomi and Bakuriani.
• Sighnaghi. No app lists Sighnaghi. Taxis wait on the main square and at the top of the park, and a ride to Telavi, where Bolt and Maxim do work, costs about 60 to 70 GEL. More in Sighnaghi.
• Mestia. No taxi app works in Svaneti. Local drivers and 4x4s wait in the centre of Mestia, and guesthouses arrange trips to Ushguli. More in Svaneti, Mestia and Ushguli.

How much does a taxi cost in Tbilisi in 2026?

A Bolt ride within central Tbilisi costs about 5 to 10 GEL (2 to 4 USD) in autumn 2026, and the 17 km from the airport to the centre about 25 to 35 GEL (10 to 13 USD). These are the app prices that guides and travellers reported between July and October 2026. Yandex Go is usually within a few lari of Bolt, sometimes cheaper and sometimes dearer at peak times, so compare both if you have them.

• Tbilisi Airport to Freedom Square or the old town. 25 to 35 GEL and 25 to 40 minutes. Quiet daytime rides sometimes cost 15 to 25 GEL, and after midnight or in rain up to about 40 GEL.
• A short ride in the centre, 2 to 4 km. 5 to 10 GEL.
• Across the city. 10 to 25 GEL, depending on the distance and traffic.
• Central Railway Station to Freedom Square. 8 to 12 GEL.
• Tbilisi to Mtskheta, about 25 km. 25 to 45 GEL one way. The minibus from Didube costs about 2 GEL.
• Night and rain. The apps have no fixed night tariff. Prices rise with demand, typically 1.5 to 2 times in rain, at rush hour (about 8:00 to 10:00 and 18:00 to 20:00) and after midnight.

How does the fake Bolt scam at Tbilisi Airport work?

Drivers who walk up to you in the arrivals hall at Tbilisi Airport are not app drivers, even when they say they are from Bolt or the official taxi. In reports from 2026 some show a phone with the Bolt app open, others promise to use the meter, which turns out to be an app on their phone that runs the fare up. Travellers report paying 200 to 380 GEL for a ride that costs 25 to 35 GEL in the app, and some say the driver turned threatening when they refused to pay. Others simply ask 50 to 100 GEL, two or three times the app price, or claim that the app price is only a starting price.

Real Bolt and Yandex Go drivers do not come into the terminal to find you. They wait in the car at the pick-up point the app shows outside arrivals. The airport's official taxi at the kerb outside arrivals is genuine and charges a fixed 40 GEL to the centre in October 2026, a fair fallback if your app does not work.

• Order the car yourself in the app, from inside the terminal, and walk to the pick-up point it shows.
• Before you get in, check that the plate, the make and colour of the car and the driver's photo match the app.
• Say no to anyone who offers a ride, however friendly, and never cancel your app order because a driver asks you to.
• Pay in the app with a card, so the fare is set by the app and not by the driver.
• If a driver demands more than the app price, pay the app price, report the ride in the app, and call 112 if you feel threatened.
• If you land at night, with children or with a lot of luggage, a pre-booked transfer avoids the whole problem. The driver waits in arrivals with your name on a sign, and the price is fixed before you fly. All the other ways into town are in Tbilisi Airport to the city.

Can you pay by card in Bolt and Yandex Go?

Yes. In both Bolt and Yandex Go you can link a Visa or Mastercard and the fare is charged automatically, or you can choose cash and pay the driver the amount the app shows, in lari. Bolt also takes Apple Pay in Georgia. Keep 20 to 30 GEL in small notes anyway, because a foreign card is sometimes declined and drivers often say they have no change.

Some US cards have been declined in Yandex Go, and in older reports in Bolt too, so link two cards if you can. Cards issued by Russian banks do not work in Bolt, and in spring 2026 travellers with a Russian card in Yandex Go got the message that payment is not possible in this region, so plan to pay those rides in cash.

Street taxis and village drivers take cash only, in lari. Tipping is not expected in taxis, and rounding up by 1 or 2 GEL is a kind gesture.

How do street taxis work in Georgia, and how do you agree the price?

A street taxi in Georgia has no working meter in practice, so you agree the price for the whole ride before you get in. Check the Bolt price for the same trip first and use it as your anchor. Street drivers usually ask about one and a half times the app price, and more from tourists and at the airport.

In Tbilisi, licensed street taxis are white and carry a roof sign that reads TAXI თბილისი. Cars that work through the apps can be any colour and may not carry a taxi sign. The UK Foreign Office advises against hailing taxis in the street and recommends ordering through an app. In small towns without apps, a taxi from the main square or one your guesthouse calls is the normal way to travel.

• Agree the total for the car, not per person, and say the currency. A known trick is to agree a number and insist at the end that it was in dollars.
• Settle before you set off whether waiting time and stops are included.
• After midnight, street prices roughly double, and at the airport between 2:00 and 5:00 drivers ask 80 to 100 GEL or more.
• Sit in the back, check that the seat belts work, and have small notes ready.
• If the driver hands you over to a friend or relative on the way, the price you agreed still stands.

Can you take a Bolt from Tbilisi to Kazbegi, Gudauri or Batumi?

You can request one, but it often goes wrong, and most guides advise against it. Bolt even has a Travel category for intercity trips in Tbilisi. In practice, drivers accept the order and cancel when they see the distance or the mountain road.

There are good reasons for that. City cars are not equipped for the Jvari Pass, where winter tyres are compulsory from 1 December to 1 March and police may turn back cars without chains in snowfall. The driver has to come back empty, so many ask for extra cash on top of the app price once you are on the way. Economy cars are small sedans, many with a gas cylinder in the boot, so two large suitcases may not fit. And the app price covers the drive, not the photo stops on the way.

Cheaper and more reliable options exist for each route. The minibus from Didube to Kazbegi costs 20 GEL and takes about 3.5 hours, with about eleven departures a day. To Batumi, the train is the comfortable budget choice. Details are in Tbilisi to Kazbegi and Tbilisi to Batumi. If you plan many stops over several days, compare renting a car with hiring a driver.

When is a pre-booked transfer better than a taxi?

A transfer is the better choice when you land at night, travel with children or a lot of luggage, go between cities or into the mountains, or simply do not want to deal with drivers at the exit. For a short daytime ride inside Tbilisi, Batumi or Kutaisi, Bolt is cheaper and quicker, and we would take it ourselves.

With TravelAroundGeorgia the price is fixed per car, not per person, and does not change with flight delays or traffic. At the airports the driver tracks your flight and waits in arrivals with a name sign, and the first 60 minutes after landing are free. Child seats are free. You pay the driver after the trip, in cash or by card. Book on the site or in our Telegram bot. The booking card on this page shows the live price.

The transfers people book most are from Tbilisi Airport and Kutaisi Airport, and from Tbilisi to Kazbegi, to Gudauri, to Borjomi and to Batumi.

Are taxis safe for women travelling alone in Georgia?

Yes, app taxis in Tbilisi and Batumi are a safe way for women travelling alone to get around, and women who live in Tbilisi describe street harassment as uncommon. The usual precautions below matter most late at night.

• Use Bolt or Yandex Go rather than a street taxi, especially after midnight, and ignore the men who call out taxi at stations and the airport.
• Sit in the back, and share the live trip with a friend from the app.
• Check the plate and the driver's photo before you get in.
• If you are staying in an apartment, you can set the drop-off at a nearby corner rather than at your door.
• There is no women-only taxi option in Georgia in 2026. If you want the price and the pick-up settled before a late flight, book a transfer.
• The emergency number for police, ambulance and fire is 112.

Do taxis in Georgia have child seats?

Usually not. Bolt has no child seat option in Georgia and street taxis do not carry them. Yandex Go lets you ask for a car with a child seat for a surcharge, but in practice one is not always available.

Georgian traffic law requires a child seat for children under 3, but it still allows a child of that age to ride on the lap of a belted adult in the back. Children under 12 may not ride in the front seat. The US State Department gives 4 as the age for a child seat. In August 2026 the government's road safety plan proposed making seats compulsory for preschool children, but as of October 2026 that is not yet law.

Whatever the law says, a seat is the safe choice on Georgian roads. Bring a light travel seat or a booster, or book a transfer. Our child seats are free, just ask for them when you book.