Black and white on the streets of St. Petersburg

How taxi services complied with the order to transport people for free, and volunteers saved the city for no reason.

An hour and a half after the terrorist attack, it became known that the city metro was closed. And immediately two VKontakte communities – SPB.AVTO and Autovolunteers – posted the following entry: “We ask all drivers to help people for free! Let's say NO to inflated taxi prices!”

The head of SPB.AVTO Svyatoslav Danilov told Novaya what led him to the decision to throw out a cry and take his people out onto the streets: “I left my car in the morning at the Ladozhskaya metro station in an intercept parking lot. At 15.50 I was forced to walk from the Vladimirskaya metro station to the Alexander Nevsky station itself, where my friends picked me up, since it was impossible to leave on anything. The Yandex Taxi and Uber applications did not confirm the order.” According to Svyatoslav, it was impossible to board the crowded ground transport; hundreds of people were standing at all stops.

“We usually help vulnerable groups of the population - these are hospices and orphanages. But then they decided that today the entire population of the city had become such a group... At 16.14 I wrote my appeal to my colleagues. As a result, we removed at least several hundred people from the center.”

And here’s what Svyatoslav wrote on his page: “I’m now on Vladimirsky Prospect. I see how taxi drivers drive up to the crowd and offer a ride five times more expensive! Just now, on the corner of Kolokolnaya, one of Gett offered to take me to Ladozhskaya for 1,500 rubles (through the app it costs 200).”

The same topic - nobility and callousness - is discussed on the networks: “This day divided the city into normal people and assholes. When free travel on public transport was announced everywhere and people in their personal cars took people out of the center for free, some minibus operators continued to demand payment for travel, wrote Alexandra Charno yesterday. –When the main taxi companies announced that they did not charge fees, the Vezet taxi doubled the price tag. But, oddly enough, those same Normal People - each with their own little Superman cape - saved the city.”

Novaya called Vezet twice. The first time, as a passenger, we were offered a distance that usually costs 300 rubles for 600, and when we asked how this could be, they answered: first pay, and then dispute. The second time we introduced ourselves as journalists, after which the dispatcher hung up. (All conversations are recorded. – Ed. )

Already at 15.32 Taxi TaxovichkoF reported: “Favorite city, we are with you! We are bringing available cars to the Sennaya area. If you see a TaxovichkoF car there, get in it, they will deliver you free of charge from these areas within the Ring Road. We deliver until 02:00 on April 4.” Unfortunately, this promise did not always work. Here's what Olga Pechenkina told Novaya:

“It was at 17.30 at the Vitebsk station under the clock. Taxi "Success" picked up the phone and rejected my calls. Others didn't even pick up the phone. The baby is crying, the phone is going dead...”

And then “Taksovichkov” brought someone to the station, dropped him off, but... he refused our request to take him to Moskovskaya. More people came after us, he didn’t take anyone.

Another St. Petersburg resident complained to Novaya about the same problems: “The cars were parked two or three at a time, the drivers were smoking, other cars were driving empty - about seven of them actually drove by! One slowed down and asked where. And the price. And he left, offering me 1000 rubles to Dybenko.

Others were luckier: “Thank you Taxovichkov, they delivered it completely free!!! From Komendansky to Rybatsky!!!” – wrote Evgenia Sotnikova .

According to our data, one of Uber's St. Petersburg partners had to fire 11 drivers today because they received complaints that they were profiting from grief.

VK launched the hashtag #home , where drivers offered free transportation, and pedestrians - advertisements for finding a car home. The networks were full of pleas: “Guys, take it, you don’t have the strength, either there or there, it doesn’t matter where you can!!!!” And the response: “ #hold on Peter From the center after 23.00 I’m ready to be on duty at night.”

The general conclusion is this: some drivers drove in good faith, while others did not. But ordinary townspeople continue to help each other. For example, car enthusiast Alexander Karnaev, who posted his phone number in the #home group on the morning of April 4, answered Novaya’s question simply: “I will continue to drive today, because I think that people should help each other.”