Thursday, 16 October 2025
The Polish capital’s taxi market has expanded rapidly over the past few years, evolving into one of Central Europe’s most complex and diverse transport ecosystems. While official municipal data counted nearly 59,000 taxis operating in Warsaw in 2024, the real number of drivers is likely higher due to multi-shift operations, private rentals, and ride-hailing integrations.
Unlike earlier decades, when municipal companies such as Miejskie Przedsiębiorstwo Taksówkowe (MPT) dominated the streets, the city’s taxi network today is driven by a mix of corporate fleets, independent drivers, and digital platform partners. The sale and privatization of MPT in 2021 opened the door for technology-based entrants such as iTaxi, which has since merged elements of MPT’s operations into its platform. Alongside legacy brands such as ELE Taxi, Sawa Taxi, Eko Taxi, and Opti Taxi, hundreds of smaller firms and individual operators now compete for passengers, often through multiple ride-hailing apps.
Registry data show that no single operator controls more than a small portion of the market. In the Mazovian region alone, there are more than 13,000 registered taxi firms, representing roughly one-fifth of all Polish taxi businesses. This fragmented structure allows for competitive pricing but also complicates regulation, particularly when it comes to permits, insurance, and consumer protection.
A significant share of the industry’s vehicles are owned not by drivers but by partner companies that purchase or lease fleets and rent them out for taxi or ride-hailing work. Firms such as MB Partner, Fobest Partner, Promin Partner, GCAR, Udriver, and O! Taxi supply fully equipped cars—usually hybrids adapted for Bolt, Uber, FreeNow, or iTaxi services—under weekly or monthly rental schemes. Typical rates hover around 800 złoty per week, with maintenance, insurance, and basic servicing included. Drivers either pay a flat fee or share part of their earnings with the fleet owner.
These partner fleets have made taxi driving accessible to newcomers, particularly foreign residents who lack the capital to buy their own vehicles. Many immigrant drivers, including Ukrainians and other Eastern European nationals, rely on such rentals as an entry point into the market. While several companies advertise in Ukrainian and Russian, public registries do not show formal Ukrainian ownership among the major Warsaw-based rental partners.
One notable Ukrainian-founded brand active in Poland is Opti Taxi, which began in Ukraine under the Kovtun family and later expanded to Warsaw. Opti operates mainly as a booking platform rather than a fleet-rental company, but its presence illustrates the increasing cross-border integration of the regional taxi industry.
With tens of thousands of licensed vehicles, thousands of self-employed drivers, and a growing number of rental intermediaries, the taxi sector forms a substantial part of Warsaw’s urban economy. The rise of the fleet-partner model mirrors global trends in flexible employment, though it also raises questions about driver security, licensing standards, and income stability.
Municipal authorities continue to monitor compliance with city taxi regulations, and competition regulators such as UOKiK have turned their attention to the broader travel and accommodation platforms linked to this ecosystem. As the Polish capital balances innovation with oversight, Warsaw’s taxi market exemplifies the shift from traditional cab ownership to a technology-enabled network of independent operators, fleet partners, and multinational digital platforms—all competing for the same passenger.
Editorial Note: The views and analysis presented in this article are forward-looking and intended for informational purposes only.
