Taxi in Sofia

To travel by taxi in Sofia is cheap and affordable. But there are couple of things that you have to pay attention to in order not to get cheated. Here are some tips for safe travel with a taxi in Sofia (like the locals do).

1. Avoid getting a taxi from the street. 

There are a lot of fraud taxis that would charge you up to 10-20 times more for a single ride. So, always read the rate that should always be displayed on the front window of the taxi. Normally all prices there should be LESS than 1 BGN each. Regular rates nowadays are: 

avg. initial (starting) fare: 0,70 BGN or 0,36 EUR;

avg. fare per kilometer / day time (6:00 AM – 22:00 PM): 0,80 BGN or 0,41 EUR;

avg. fare per kilometer / night time (22:00 PM – 6:00 AM): 0,90 BGN or 0,46 EUR;

avg. waiting fare per minute: 0,22 BGN or 0,11 EUR (this is when the car gets stuck in a traffic or is waiting at a traffic light);

Beware that many fraud taxis copy on the outside (similar logo and name) one of the biggest normal taxi company - OK Supertrans. Whenever you see logos whose small letters read OK Trans, OK supershans, etc. - run away! 

Note that all taxis are yellow in Sofia (or green, if it is an electric car). 

So, unless totally inevitable, we highly recommend that you don't get a taxi on the street, but rather order one or ask someone to order it for you.

2. Recommended taxi companies

Here are some phone numbers of the biggest real taxi companies in Sofia: 

• Yellow taxi  +359 2 91119
• Green taxi (a bit more expensive, but cleaner and newer eco-friendly electric cars, this is the only company whose taxis are NOT yellow - rather green) +359 2 810 810
• OK Supertrans (beware of the spelling!) +359 2 973 21 21. 

OK Supertrans is the only taxi company that is allowed to operate at both terminals of the airport. Any other company can bring you there, but if you are at the airport you can only take that one to take you to the city center. NEVER accept an offer to take a taxi inside the terminal building! This is 100% scam. Just go outside the terminal building and you will see the OK Supertrans waiting line. Take the first taxi in the line. 

3. Easier to get a taxi by an app

To avoid having to make calls, language problems, not knowing your destination and to easier track your taxi, we strongly recommend that you use one of the below apps that make your life easier when using a taxi in Sofia.

• Yellow Taxi App - for Android and iPhone

This is only for Yellow Taxi and does not allow you to pay by card via the app. Still, the taxis normally arrive fast and you can track them on their way to you. 

• TaxiMe - for Android and iPhone 

A lot of different companies operate in that app. The biggest plus is that you can pay via your debit or credit card via the app. Sometimes the cars that arrive are tiny though. 

If you register with the code: sergey394, you can get 2 BGN / 1 EUR off the bill for your first ride in Sofia. Use it! 

4. Always have small change

Most of the taxis in Sofia, Bulgaria do not accept credit and debit cards, rather cash only. The drivers always try to round up the bill significantly by explaining that they have no change to return. So try to have the exact amount before you enter up the taxi. Usually a tip of about 10% is expected. 

5. Have your address written in Bulgarian

Most drivers do not speak any language except for Bulgarian. So it will be useful if you show them the exact address that you are travelling to written in local language. Or, simply use one of the recommended apps above and have the destination entered by yourself. 

6. Walk or use the public transport if possible

Especially the subway is a very convenient way to avoid traffic jams. See our article for public transport in Sofia. Or take a nice walk around the city. 

Good luck with the taxis! Feel free to share your experience with us in the below comments!