Yandex Go Overcharged Me With an Automatic Tip — Want Refund

On the morning of November 28, I ordered a taxi through the Yandex Go app within the Buca district. Although the fare shown in the app was $3, and the distance I traveled was short, the driver requested a total of $7 at the end of the ride. The driver of vehicle 35 T 6816 stated that the $3 difference was considered a tip added by the application, claiming that they only receive a small portion of it. Because of this explanation, I felt pressured and ended up paying the amount in cash, even though I did not want to or consent to it.

Later, when I contacted Yandex Go customer service, they told me that this option appears when the “faster ride with extra tip” feature is active, that the ride fare is calculated by the taximeter, that a fixed extra payment is automatically added by the app, and that the total amount displayed at the end includes the tip. However, I did not knowingly or intentionally select any tip option in the app. Moreover, the driver presenting this as a mandatory payment was very upsetting.

I believe I suffered financial loss both because the tip option was activated in such an automatic and unclear way in the app, and because the driver treated it as an obligatory payment. I request that Yandex Go refund the additional $3 charged for this ride and that the tip and extra payment processes in the app be made clearer, fully optional, and transparent to prevent similar issues.