The taxi market continues to grow actively
The demand for online taxi services in Ukraine continues to increase even in the conditions of war and a difficult economic situation. More and more Ukrainians use mobile applications to call cars, which contributes to the further development of digital transport platforms.
According to the research of the Kyiv School of Economics, presented during the round table of the European Business Association, in 2025, Ukrainians made about 239 million trips through online taxi services. It is about 15 million more, than a year earlier, which corresponds to an increase of almost 7%.
In fact, digital services have become the main way to order a taxi in large cities of Ukraine, displacing traditional dispatch services.
The market volume already exceeds 46 billion hryvnias
Along with the number of trips, the financial scale of the industry grows.
According to experts, today the Ukrainian online taxi market is valued at approx 1 billion dollars, or close to 46 billion hryvnias per year
For comparison, a few years ago the market was much smaller, but the active development of digital platforms, changing consumer habits and the popularity of mobile applications allowed taxi services to turn into one of the largest segments of the service industry.
Most drivers work without official status
Despite significant turnover, most of the market remains in the shadows.
According to researchers' estimates, in Ukraine today there are approx 172 thousand drivers, which fulfill orders through digital platforms.
However, they only have an official license to transport passengers 9500 people, which is about 5.5% from the total amount.
In other words, over 94% of drivers actually work outside the official licensing system, which creates problems both for the state and for the carriers themselves.
The market is actually controlled by three large companies
Another feature of the Ukrainian market is its high concentration.
The main volume of trips is provided by only a few international platforms.
According to the research results:
According to experts, it is this structure that will greatly simplify the future legalization of the industry, because most drivers already work through centralized digital platforms.
Due to the shadow market, the budget loses billions every year
The low level of official activity directly affects public finances.
According to the experts of the Kyiv School of Economics, due to a significant share of illegal work, the state receives approx 4.5 billion hryvnias of tax revenue.
It is not only about non-payment of income tax, but also about the lack of full-fledged financial accounting, licensing and control over the activities of carriers.
The authorities have already started market reform
The first step towards legalization was the adoption by the Verkhovna Rada of a law on taxation of income received through digital platforms.
The document has already been supported by the parliament and is currently awaiting the signature of the President of Ukraine.
One of the main changes will be a new approach to tax administration.
If earlier it was the driver who had to independently declare income and pay taxes, after the introduction of new rules, a significant part of these functions will be transferred to digital platforms.
It is the aggregators who will be responsible for the identification of the driver, the accounting of the received income and the transfer of the necessary payments to the budget.
What taxes will drivers pay?
The new rules also determine the procedure for taxation of income received through digital services.
During martial law, the tax rate will be 10%.
After the end of martial law, it is planned to reduce it to 5%.
In addition, a benefit is provided for those who receive small incomes.
If the driver's annual income does not exceed 2 thousand euros, he will be completely exempt from paying the tax.
In this way, the state tries to legalize the market without excessive financial burden on those who work irregularly or use transportation as an additional income.
A new legal status is being prepared for drivers
In parallel, the Ministry of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure is working on a separate transport reform.
It involves the creation of a new status — self-employed car carrier.
The main feature is that drivers will no longer need to open a FOP just to operate legally through online services.
Instead, they will receive a special electronic certificate, and the vehicle will be entered in the state register.
In addition, the car will have to pass a technical inspection and have a valid insurance policy.
This approach will simplify the legalization of the work of drivers, while at the same time increasing the safety of passenger transportation.
What will change after the launch of the reform
Analysts of the Kyiv School of Economics predict that the comprehensive implementation of tax and transport reforms can significantly change the Ukrainian taxi market in the coming years.
It is expected that 2030 year annual tax revenues from the industry can grow to 8 billion hryvnias, which is almost double the current budget losses.
The legalization of the market will be no less important.
If now officially work only close 5.5% drivers, then after the introduction of new rules, the share of legal carriers may increase to approx 90%.
What this means for passengers and drivers
For passengers, the reform should primarily mean an increase in the level of safety and transparency of transportation. Legalization of drivers, mandatory insurance, technical control of cars and official registration should make the market more controlled.
For the drivers themselves, the main advantage may be the ability to work legally without the need to open a FOP, if the relevant draft law is finally adopted. This will simplify administration, reduce the bureaucratic burden and make cooperation with digital platforms more understandable.
At the same time, the success of the reform will largely depend on how simple and convenient the new mechanisms of registration, taxation and interaction between the state, platforms and drivers will be. If the proposed changes can be implemented in practice, the Ukrainian online taxi market can move from a mostly shadow model to a completely legal and transparent work format.
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