A taxi in Moscow, typical of the older vehicles that make up much of the taxi fleet.
The use of taxis in the planning of Russian urban transit systems, otherwise dominated by very-high-capacity, very-line-oriented modes of transit such as metro and tram, provides some indication of how Soviet planners aimed to overcome some of the sticking points inherent in cities mostly lacking individual transport. Officially speaking, within the Soviet urban system, taxis were provided to fill in the gaps in other transport, but still were run with an emphasis on efficiency and productivity. They were provided by state-run firms, providing exclusively pre-arranged trips (so as to prevent cruising for fares). Nevertheless, even during this period, those citizens who did own private cars often offered rides for a fare, bypassing the official taxi system. This seems to have been widely tolerated, though, in light of the important role it played in smoothing out any gaps in official transport. (Morton 191–192)
As one might expect, then, after the fall of the Soviet Union, the number of private taxis became quite high, reaching some 17,000 as early as 1991. Moreover, the use of shared (or mashrut) taxis grew as well, providing some 100,000 journey per day (Bakulin 140–141) These taxis operate on a fixed route, much as a bus, but only make a small number of stops to pick up and let off riders, based on their actual destinations. (Such shared taxis were uncommon but not unknown during the Soviet period, see Morton 192)
Nevertheless, while I was in Moscow and St. Petersburg, taxis seemed rarer than I initially expected. I expect this is because they are simply drowned out in the large number of private cars in use; those not well-off enough to own a car might well prefer to use mass transit, as it is far cheaper. However, it is also possible that, as I was told before arriving, many still offer rides in their cars unofficially, seeking to earn some extra income. If that is the case, that may explain why I was able to recognize relatively few of these vehicles. Nevertheless, with the increasing prominence of Moscow, in particular, in the international business world, I would expect that the number of taxis is likely to increase to keep pace with the growing number of international travelers there on business.