How to Get a Taxi in Ulaanbaatar

How to get a taxi in Ulaanbaatar including the price per kilometer. Helpful apps to download, plus safety tips and passenger etiquette.

When I first moved to Ulaanbaatar, the idea of just waiving down a random car on the street really freaked me out. Especially as a woman!

What if I get kidnapped? What if I can’t communicate with them and they take me somewhere I didn’t want to go? The “what if’s” were endless.

Fast forward seven years and hundreds of taxi rides later and – spoiler alert – I’m still alive! No kidnapping, no scary stories to share, no crazy incidents.

Besides a few inflated prices and a couple accidental wrong turns, my experience hailing a taxi in Ulaanbaatar has been nothing but positive.

Sure, that’s not to say something can’t and won’t go wrong. But, all I can share are my experiences.

Let me explain how to get a taxi in Ulaanbaatar, including apps to use, price for a taxi ride, safety tips, and more.

Are you planning your trip last minute?

🚕 Book a Cheap Airport Transfer (great, budget-friendly option when landing in Mongolia)

🛌 Best Places to Stay:

Hostel One (favorite overall hostel with central location and clean facilities)

Urgoo Hotel (local boutique hotel with clean rooms and great location)

H9 Hotel Nine (boutique hotel located next to Sukhbaatar Square)

👉 Top Things to Do in Ulaanbaatar:

Cooking Class in a Local Home (unique way to spend a day and meet a local family!)

Mongolian Calligraphy Class: 1-Hour Lesson (try your hand at traditional Mongolian script)

Ulaanbaatar City Tour (best way to get to know the city with a local guide)

🐴 Most Popular Day Trips from Ulaanbaatar:

Brief Introduction to Mongol Horse (the most Mongolian experience you can have!)

Day Trip to Terelj National Park and the Chinggis Khaan Equestrian Statue (the perfect day trip for active travelers)

Bogd Khan National Park Hiking Day Trip (a beautiful hike with views of the city in the world’s first ever national park)

How to Get a Taxi in Ulaanbaatar

There are three ways to get a taxi in Ulaanbaatar.

Use a taxi app like UB Cab.
Hail a car off the street.
Go to a point where taxi’s typically wait and get one from there.

Looking for information on how to get a taxi or private transfer from Chinggis Khaan International Airport? Read this Ulaanbaatar Airport guide →

Taxi Cab Apps to Use

The most used taxi calling app in Ulaanbaatar is called UB Cab. You’ll need a local number to use it, and it works a lot like a very basic Uber or Yandex.

If you don’t have a local number, you won’t be able to use the UB Cab app.

At the end of the ride, you will have to pay in cash, the app doesn’t accept credit cards of any kind. Locals usually pay using Qpay, a system that uses QR codes to pay directly from their bank accounts, or they transfer straight to the driver from their bank app.

Download UB Cab on: Apple, Android

Hailing a Taxi off the Street

This is the simplest way to catch a taxi. Simply put out your hand on the side of the road and see who stops.

Usually, they’ll ask you where you’re going. That’s because these aren’t official taxis, these are drivers who are looking to make a few extra tugriks on their way to wherever they’re going.

Again, you’ll have to pay them in cash for the ride. A good standard rate to keep in mind is that 1 kilometer = 2,000 Mongolian tugrik.

If you plan to catch a taxi this way definitely make sure you have smaller bills on you. A typically trip around the city center is usually 4,000 to 8,000 tugrik. These non-taxi driver drivers likely won’t have change.

Taxi Waiting Points

While there are no official taxi waiting points in Ulaanbaatar, here are two coordinates where I know taxis typically wait and can easily be found. Just look for someone sitting in a Prius, say “taxi” and they’ll motion for you to get into the backseat.

Near the State Department: On the corner across the State Department Store next to the GS25. (Google Maps pin)

Outside the Shangri-La Mall: Taxis usually sit right in front of the Shangri-La mall knowing this is a popular spot for both locals and tourists to visit. (Google Maps pin)

Taxi Etiquette in Mongolia

It’s not uncommon to get in a taxi (especially one hailed off the street) with the driver’s child in the passenger seat. Sometimes, you’ll even get to go on a little side quest to drop them off! Consider it a bonus part of your journey.

There’s nothing to be afraid of, usually they’ll try to convey what they’re doing as best they can.

One time last year I got into a taxi with a grandfather who was taking his young grandson to school. We took a tiny detour to the kid’s school and the grandfather left me alone in his car to drop him off inside. At the time I was in a hurry to get somewhere, but it was a good reminder of enjoying the little things in life – I got to see a different part of the city and get an added taste of Mongolian family culture.

Eventually I made it to where I was going, which I can’t even remember now, but I still remember the journey.

When Not to Taxi: Finding a Ride During Rush Hour

On weekdays between 5 pm and 8 pm, don’t expect to easily get a taxi.

This is prime time rush hour in the capital. During this time of day, plan accordingly and plan to walk, if you can. Traffic is usually bumper to bumper, especially around Sukhbaatar Square.

Author: Breanna Wilson

Hi! Sain uu! I’m Breanna, an American travel writer and adventurer living in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for more than 5 years. I’ve written for and been featured in Condé Nast Traveler, CNN, Forbes, and the New York Times, among others. Read more of my Mongolia travel articles here.