Getting Around Uzbek Cities: Taxi Apps, Metro and When a Private Transfer Is Worth It

Between cities, Uzbekistan runs on fast trains and long straight roads. Inside the cities, the picture is simpler: Tashkent has a metro, the old towns of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva are best seen on foot, and for everything else most people use a taxi app. This guide explains how each option works for a visitor and when it is worth booking a private car instead. We do not give taxi fares here — they change, and the apps show them before you ride.

Key facts

• Tashkent: a metro with four lines, plus taxi apps; the city is large, so distances matter.
• Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva: no metro; the historic centres are compact and best explored on foot.
• Taxi apps: Yandex Go, the best-known ride-hailing app, works in Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva.
• Payment: the Tashkent metro takes transport cards, bank cards and phone payments; tokens are no longer used.
• Private transfer: a pre-booked car and driver for airport, station and hotel runs — 24/7, and the driver waits for a delayed flight.
• Prices: taxi fares are shown in the app; our transfers are priced per car — see the transfer pages.

Tashkent: metro, taxis and long distances

Tashkent is a city of wide avenues and long distances, and it is the only Uzbek city with a metro. The network opened in 1977 and today has four lines: Chilonzor, Oʻzbekiston and Yunusobod underground, and the newer Circle line, whose first section opened in 2020, running above ground. Many central stations are known for their decoration — marble, chandeliers, carved plaster and ceramics — and photography in the metro has been allowed since 2018.

Tokens were replaced by cards in 2020. As of October 2026 you pay at the turnstile with a transport card, a bank card or a phone, so check that your card works for contactless payment before you rely on it. Station names are in Uzbek, so a map app on your phone is the easiest way to plan a ride. If you want to see the metro with someone who knows it, our Modern Tashkent city tour includes a metro ride and a look at its decorated stations.

For trips the metro does not cover, a taxi app is the usual choice. Have mobile data on your phone — a local SIM or an eSIM — and the hotel address written in the app before you order.

Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva: on foot, with a taxi for the gaps

The three Silk Road cities have no metro, and they do not need one. In Bukhara the old town is a dense network of lanes between the Ark, Lyab-i Hauz and the trading domes. In Khiva, Itchan Kala — the walled inner town — is small enough to cross on foot in a short walk, and most of its monuments are inside the walls. Samarkand is more spread out: the Registan, Gur-e-Amir, Bibi-Khanym and Shah-i-Zinda are linked by walkable streets, while the Ulugh Beg Observatory and the Afrosiyob museum are further out.

For the longer hops — from the hotel to a restaurant across town, or to the railway station — taxi apps work in all three cities. Yandex Go has been available in Samarkand and Bukhara for years and started in Urgench and Khiva in 2024. Availability of cars varies by time of day, so allow some extra time for a ride you cannot miss.

Taxi apps: what to know

• The app shows the price before you confirm, so you do not need to agree a fare with the driver.
• Check the payment options in the app before your first ride; keep some local cash in small notes as a back-up.
• Mark the pickup point exactly, especially in old towns, where cars cannot always drive into the lanes.
• Car size: an ordinary app car may not have room for several large suitcases; with big luggage or more than three travellers, one car may not be enough.
• Without an app: if you take a car on the street, agree the price before you get in.

When a private transfer is worth it

An app taxi is ideal for a short ride across town with a small bag. A pre-booked private transfer — your own car and driver, waiting for you — is worth it in a few situations:

• Night arrivals: our transfers run 24/7, so a car is waiting for a flight or train at any hour, with your hotel address already known.
• Delayed flights: the driver waits up to 60 minutes free of charge; a longer delay is charged extra, by agreement.
• Luggage and families: you choose the car by seats and suitcases, from a sedan to a minivan or minibus; child seats are available on request where possible, free of charge.
• Groups: one minibus instead of several taxis keeps everyone together.
• No phone data yet: on the first evening, before you have a SIM, the driver finds you — not the other way round.
• Language: most drivers communicate easily with a translation app; an English-speaking driver can be arranged and may cost more.

We run city transfers between the airport, the railway station and hotels in all four cities: see the Tashkent airport transfer, the Samarkand airport transfer and the other routes on our private transfers page. How the airport pickup works is explained in our guide to airport transfers in Uzbekistan.

Practical tips

• Get mobile data early: a SIM or an eSIM makes taxi apps, maps and messages work from the first day.
• Save addresses in writing: guesthouses in old towns can be hard to find by name alone.
• Keep small notes: for street taxis, bazaars and tips.
• Walk early and late: in summer, plan old-town walks for the morning and evening.
• Book the transfers that matter: arrivals, early departures and trips with heavy luggage are the rides worth arranging in advance.

Plan it with TravelBliss

We arrange private transfers from the airports and stations of Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, the drives between the cities and guided walks in the old towns. Send your arrival details through Plan your trip or choose a route on our transfer pages. Transfer prices are per car and depend on the city and the vehicle.