Uzbekistan Adds 5,000 Self-Employed Taxi Drivers

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The number of self-employed citizens providing passenger transportation services in Uzbekistan increased by 5,000 over the year to 782,500 as of 1 September 2026. The Tax Committee said reports circulating on social media about a significant decline in the number of self-employed taxi drivers were based on methodological inaccuracies.

According to the agency, the total number of registered self-employed people engaged in passenger transportation stood at 777,100 as of 1 September 2025. Meanwhile, 481,149 self-employed drivers worked through taxi aggregators from 1 January to 1 September 2025.

During the same period in 2026, 481,117 self-employed people operated through aggregators. This represents a decline of just 32 people.

At the same time, the overall number of self-employed people in passenger transportation increased from 777,100 to 782,500, or by around 5,000.

The Tax Committee separately reported an increase in the number of women drivers. During the first eight months of 2026, their number reached 4,107, compared with 3,753 during the same period last year. The increase amounted to 354 people, or 10%.

During the first eight months of 2026, 329.1 million trips were made in Uzbekistan, with a total value of 7,168.4 billion soums. Compared with the same period in 2025, the number of trips increased by 9%, while their total value rose by 23%.

The Tax Committee noted that changes in the number of self-employed people working through taxi aggregators represent a natural market process. The agency expects the indicators to continue growing through the end of 2026, taking into account the results of the period already completed and continued interest in the sector.

According to the committee, expanding formal employment in passenger transportation contributes to increasing legal sources of income and improving transparency in the services market.