Does Yandex Taxi in Istanbul charge by meter or fixed app price?

If you would rather not deal with card payment, you can select cash in the Yandex Taxi app. In September 2026 a traveler did exactly that and paid the driver in Turkish lira.

The final fare, participants said in June 2026, is based on the meter, not the price shown in the app. Before ending the ride the driver enters the meter amount into the app, and the balance is then charged to your card through the app. Participants advise keeping an eye on the amount the driver enters.

The ~ symbol next to the price in the app, as participants explained in June 2026, means the fare is only an estimate: at the end of the ride you are charged the meter amount.

In June 2026 travelers wrote that paying through the app with a linked Russian-issued card worked, while the fare was still charged by the meter. In August 2026 another tourist said she used Yandex Taxi in Istanbul for the first time and the payment was charged to a Russian-issued card linked to the app.