Yandex Go Launches in Istanbul

ISTANBUL  

Yandex Go has officially launched its ride-hailing service in Istanbul, expanding competition in Türkiye’s digital taxi market alongside platforms such as BiTaksi, Uber and iTaksi.

The service, operated by Yandex Türkiye, already serves İzmir, Antalya, Ankara, Mersin and Adana. With Istanbul joining the network, Yandex Go now operates in six Turkish cities.

The company will work with licensed taxi drivers and use artificial intelligence-based route planning, vehicle dispatching and driver-passenger matching technologies. According to Yandex, the system is designed to shorten passenger waiting times and reduce empty mileage for taxi drivers.

Yandex also announced a $100 million investment to expand its mobility operations in Türkiye.

Alexander Popovskiy, CEO of Yandex Search International and General Manager of Yandex Türkiye, said the company sees Türkiye as a long-term market.

“Millions of people in Türkiye regularly use Yandex services, including AI-powered tools, for a wide range of needs, from accessing information and finding addresses to route planning and making everyday decisions. Our commitment to Türkiye is serious and long-term. Our $100 million investment in the development of our mobility service is a clear indication of this,” Popovskiy said.

According to company data, Yandex Go’s smart dispatch system has reduced average vehicle arrival times to less than three minutes. An analysis of more than 129,000 trips in Istanbul showed that the company’s route optimization technology shortened trip durations by an average of 7.07 percent per ride, the highest efficiency level achieved among the Turkish cities where Yandex Go operates.