According to reports from sociologists, Moscow tourists do not trust Moscow taxis - mainly because they never know how much they will have to pay for the trip.

      In the Soviet times the taxis were equipped with a counter, similar to the one you have in British taxis and black cabs. Since the demise of the system, the counters were extracted from cars, and a passenger would normally pay what the call centre agent tells them. Add to this the popular traditions of private hire and of hitchhiking, and there is little wonder there is no consensus on the tariff. 

      The Moscow officials currently think of ways to tackle the problem. One of the solution is to license the taxi drivers and to give better privileges to the licence holders, e.g. access to taxi parks, dedicated traffic lines, and the municipal call-centre.