Taking a Taxi in Iran

Like most countries in the world, Iranian cabs are usually yellow or green. But the issue of taxis in Iran may be a little complicated as compared to other countries. In Iran, you have the following options for traveling inside the city or sometimes between two neighboring cities by taxi:

Going to the nearest taxi stand

In big cities like Tehran, you can find taxi stands in main squares such as in Tajrish, Vanak, Enghelâb, Azadi, Jomhuri, etc. If you are close to any of these places, walking to a taxi stand is the easiest and cheapest way to take a taxi to wherever you want to go. There, you will find shared taxis waiting for three to four passengers. An important fact to remember is that each taxi goes to one specific destination through a designated route. They may pass by the place you want to visit, so you can always ask the drivers which taxi to take by letting them know your destination. For instance, you are in Vanak and you want to go to the Carpet Museum, which is on Kargar street. If you ask the taxi drivers which taxi to take, they will show you the ones going to Enghelab. Take a seat in that taxi, wait for 2-3 more passengers to come, and when the driver starts the car, tell him/her where you want to go. S/he will let you know where to get off. It may seem a little complicated, but on the bright side, you have a great opportunity to practice and learn Farsi for free by asking the direction and addresses. All the phrases you may need are provided for you by the Farsimonde group for free. You can also check places and asking direction to be prepared for more advanced talks. Not everything is for free though, so do not forget to pay for the ride, which is usually less than 50 cents per person, even in Tehran as the most expensive city in Iran.

And for a Short Trip to Other Cities:

Moreover, in some of these taxi stands, you can find taxis which can drive you to the neighboring cities. For instance, if you are in Tehran, you can take shared taxis to Qazvin, Kashan, Semnan, Rasht, etc. These taxi stands are called “terminâl-e tâksihâ-ye beyn-e šahri”, between cities taxi stand. You may think that taking a taxi to these destinations may cost you a fortune, but actually, you just need to pay around 3$ per person for a hundred-kilometer drive.

Taking a taxi by the roadside

You do not need to live close to a taxi stand to be able to take a taxi. Wherever you are, seeing a yellow or green taxi with an empty seat means that you can ask for a ride, just say your destination to the driver who is horning or looking at you. If they are going to the same destination, they will pick you up. Moreover, there are many non-official drivers with their cars who may offer you a ride. For safety reasons, you’d better stick to the official taxis and avoid this kind of ride unless you are professional hitchhikers, speak good Persian, and you know how to negotiate the price and take care of your belongings. You’d better remember that official taxis have insurance while the others take no responsibility in case of an accident.

There is a very common word for taking a taxi by the roadside, mostaqim straightforward. In all the cities of Iran, you see people raising their hands and saying mostaqim to taxis. It is not the name of a street or a place, but it means they want the driver to take them as far as they go in a straight line. If your destination is even up to 20 kilometers away in a straight line, you can also say it to the driver.

***Tâksi telefoni* and *darbast***

In Iran, especially in towns and villages where app-based taxi services are not very popular yet, you can find car rental agencies which are called âžans or tâksi telefoni. You need to have the phone numbers of these agencies and the ability to speak Persian a little to call them. These kinds of taxis are more expensive than shared ones for very clear reasons you may guess.

Moreover, if you are by the roadside, searching for a private taxi, you can use this magic word, darbast, which can change a shared green or yellow taxi to your private taxi. The word means closed-door, which describes the way you are going to use the taxi. There will be no passenger other than you to get in or get off the taxi till your destination. When you need a private taxi and you find a yellow taxi with no other passengers, just wave your hand and say darbast. The majority of drives like to hear this word, but do not forget to agree upon the price before boarding because there is no fixed fare and most of the taxis do not have a taximeter on board.

App-based Taxi Services

App-based taxi services are emerging phenomena welcomed in many countries around the world, including Iran. In these taxis, you specify your location and destination on the map, and you are free to pay the fare in credit or cash. You know the name of the driver, and you can see the route of the driver and your trip on the map. In Iran, these taxis carry a maximum of three passengers. Currently, there are two very popular internet-based taxis in Iran called Snapp and Tap30, pronounced as tapsi. These kinds of taxis are up to 20 percent cheaper than darbast and it is usually easier to use them because most of the time you do not need to speak to the drivers, so you do not need to speak Persian. These services are available in English and French for the time being.

However, when you ask for a car by using these apps, sometimes the drivers call you to confirm the location, let you know that they might be late, or tell you that they have arrived. So, you need to learn some fixed phrases which are used in this context. It is why on this page, we had categorized the conversations based on the different types of taxis you may choose to employ.

Good luck with taking a taxi in Iran

Useful Vocabulary for Taking a Taxi in Iran

English	Pronunciation	Farsi
taxi, cab	tâksi	تاکسی
taxi stand	istgâh-e tâksi	ایستگاهِ تاکسی
call cab	tâksi telefoni	تاکسی تِلِفُنی
app based taxi	servis-e tâksi-ye onlâyn	سِرویسِ تاکسیِ آنلاین
driver	rânande(h)	رانَنده
passenger	mosâfer	مُسافِر
taxi fare	kerâye-ye tâksi	کِرایه یِ تاکسی
cash	pul	پول
small money, change	pul-e xord	پولِ خُرد
tip	an’âm	انعام
direction	masir	مَسیر
left	čap	چَپ
right	râst	راست
straight forward	mostaqim	مُستَقیم
one way	raft	رَفت
return	raft-o bargašt	رَفت و بَرگَشت
location	lokeyšen	لوکِیشِن
address	âdres	آدرِس

Useful Verbs for Taking a Taxi in Iran

English	Pronunciation	Farsi
to take a taxi	tâksi gereftan	تاکسی گِرِفتَن
to get on	savâr šodan	سَوار شُدَن
to get off	piyâde(h) šodan	پیاده شُدَن
to stop	negah dâštan	نِگَه داشتَن
to wait	montazer mundan	مُنتَظِر موندَن
to turn around	dor zadan	دور زَدَن
to turn	pičidan	پیچیدَن
to arrive	residan	رِسیدَن

Useful Farsi Phrases in the Taxi

English	Pronunciation	Farsi
you should turn around here	injâ bâyad dor bezanid	اینجا بایَد دُور بِزَنید
turn Kâj street to the left	xiyâbun-e kâj ro bepičid samt-e čap	خیابونِ کاج رُو بِپیچید سَمتِ چَپ
go straight a head at this roundabout	meydun ro mostaghim berid	مِیدون رو مُستَقیم بِرید
can you wait 10 minutes for me	miše(h) dah daqiqe(h) montazeram bemunid?	می شه دَه دَقیقه مُنتَظِر بِمونید؟
turn on the AC please!	kuler ro rošan mikonid lotfan?	کولِر رُو رُوشَن می کُنید لُطفاً؟
can you turn down the heating a bit?	boxâri ro kam mikonid lotfan?	بُخاری رو کَم می کُنید لُطفاً؟
Can you put the window down?	miše(h) panajare(h) ro bâz konid?	می شه پَنجِره رُو باز کُنید؟
can you speed up a little?	miše(h) ye(h) kam tondtar berid?	می شه یه کَم تُندتَر بِرید؟
can you slow down a little?	miše(h) yekam yavâštar berid?	می شه یه کَم یَواش تَر بِرید؟
can I pay online?	mitunam e’tebâri pardâxt konam?	می تونَم اِعتِباری ؟؟پَرداخت کُنَم؟

For the Shared Taxi in Iran

1

– Where is the Tajrish taxi stand?
– istgâh-e tâksi-ye Tajriš kojâst?
ایستگاهِ تاکسیِ تَجریش کُجاست؟ –

– Up, around the square.
– bâlâtar, dor-e meydun.
.بالاتَر، دورِ مِیدون –

– How far is the taxi stand?
– tâ istgâh-e tâksi čeqadr râhe(h)?
تا ایستگاهِ تاکسی چِقَدر راهه؟ –

– It is five minutes walk.
– piyâde(h) panj daqiqe(h).
.پیاده پَنج دَقیقه –

2

– How much is the taxi fare per person?
– kerâye(h) nafari čande(h)?
کِرایه نَفَری چَنده؟ –

– How much it costs from here to Tajrish?
– az injâ tâ Tajriš čeqadr miše(h)?
از اینجا تا تَجریش چِقَدر می شه؟ –

– 25000 per person.
– nafari bist-o panj toman.
.نَفَری بیست و پَنج تومَن –

– Sorry, I do not have small money.
– bebaxšid man pul-e xord nadâram.
.بِبَخشید مَن پولِ خُرد نَدارَم –

– no worries, I’ll give you change.
– eškâl nadâre(h), barâtun xord mikonam.
.اِشکال نَداره، بَراتون خُرد می کُنَم –

– Keep the change.
– baqiye(h)-ye pul mâl-e šomâ.
.بَقیه یِ پول مالِ شُما –

– Thank you.
– mamnun.
.مَمنون –

paying tips in Farsi - Taking a Taxi in Iran

3

– Can I transfer the taxi fare?
– mitunam keraye(h) ro kârt be kârt konam?
می تونَم کِرایه رو کارت به کارت کُنَم؟ –

– Yes, the card number is written here.
– bale(h), šomâre(h)-ye kârt ro injâ neveštam.
.بَله، شُماره یِ کارت رُو اینجا نِوِشتَم –

asking bank account number in Farsi - Taking a Taxi in Iran

4

– I am getting off in front of the museum.
– man jelo-ye muze piyâde(h) mišam.
مَن جِلویِ موزه پیاده می شَم؟ –

– Can you stop here?
– miše(h) injâ negah dârid?
می شه اینجا نِگَه دارید؟ –

– Yes, here you are.
– bale(h) befarmâyid.
.بَله بِفَرمایید –

– How long will it take from here to the airport?
– az injâ tâ forudgâh čand daqiqe(h) tul mikeše(h)?
اَز اینجا تا فُرودگاه چَند دَقیقه طول می کِشه؟ –

– Forty five minutes
– čehl- panjâh daqiqe(h).
.چِهِل پَنجاه دَقیقه –

– Will you pass by Vanak square?
– az meydun-e vanak ham rad mišid?
اَز میدون وَنَک هَم رَد می شید؟ –

– No, I am not going to Vanak.
– na, masiram samt-e vanak nist.
.نه، مَسیرَم سَمتِ وَنَک نیست –

– Vanak taxis are standing over there.
– tâksihâ-ye vanak untaraf hastand.
.تاکسی هایِ وَنَک اون طَرَف هَستَند –

– Are you going to Enqelâb?
– masiretun samt-e enqelâbe(h)?
مَسیرتون سَمتِ اِنقِلابه؟ –

– No, I am going to Azâdi.
– na, man miram âzâdi.
.نَه، مَن می رَم آزادی –

– Yep, I go to Enghelâb .
– bale(h), tâ enqelâb miram .
.بَله، تا اِنقِلاب می رَم –

talking to a driver in Farsi - Taking a Taxi in Iran

For Taking a Call Cab/darbast

1

– Pâsârgâd agency, how can I help you?
– âžâns-e pâsârgâd, befarmâyid.
.آژانسِ پاسارگاد بِفَرمایید –

– Hi, I wanted a car to the glassware museum.
– salâm, ye(h) mâšin barâ-ye muzeye âbgine(h) mixâstam.
.سَلام، یه ماشین بَرای موزه یِ آبگینه می خواستَم –

– Sure, can you give me your address?
– bale(h), âdresetun ro mifarmâyid?
بَله، آدرِسِتون رو می فَرمایید؟ –

– ‘attâr street, number 40
– xiyabân-e ‘attâr, pelâk-e čehel.
.خیابانِ عَطّار، پِلاکِ چِهِل –

– And your contact number please.
– ye(h) šomâre(h)-ye tamâs ham mifarmâyid.
یه شُماره ی تَماس هم می فَرمایید؟ –

– 921 3250869.
– nohsad-o bist-o yek, si-jo do panjâh, haštsad-o šast-o noh.
.نُهصدو بیست و یک، سی و دو، پَنجاه، هَشتصَدو شَصت و نُه –

– Thanks, I am sending a car right now.
– mersi, alân mâšin miferestam.
.مِرسی، الان ماشین می فرِستَم –

– What type of car it is?
– mâšin čiye(h)?
ماشین چیه؟ –

– Gray Peugeot.
– pežo-ye xâkestari.
.پِژویِ خاکِستَری –

– How long will it take to come?
– čand daghighe tul mikeše berese(h)?
چَند دَقیقه طول می کِشه بِرِسه؟ –

– It will be at your service in 7-8 minutes.
– haft-hašt daqiqe(h) dige(h) miyâd xedmatetun.
.هَفت هَشت دَقیقه ی دیگه می یاد خِدمَتِتون –

– Thanks, how much will it cost?
– mamnun, kerâyaš čeghdr miše(h)?
مَمنون، کِرایهَ ش چِقَدر می شه؟ –

– It is nothing to ask (Persian politeness phrase)
– qâbel nadâre(h).
.قابِل نَداره –

– Please.
– xâheš mikonam.
.خواهِش می کُنَم –

– 80,000 toman
– haštâd toman.
.هَشتاد تومَن –

– Thanks, I am waiting then.
– mersi, pas montazeram.
.مِرسی پَس مُنتَظِرَم –

OR:

– Pâsârgâd agency, how can I help you?
– âžâns-e pâsârgâd, befarmâyid.
.آژانسِ پاسارگاد، بِفَرمایید –

– Hi, I wanted a car to the glassware museum.
– ye(h) mâšin barâ-ye muzeye âbgine(h) mixâstam.
.یه ماشین بَرای موزه ی آبگینه می خواستَم –

– Sorry, there is no car available now.
– bebaxšid, alân mâšin nadârim .
.بِبَخشید اَلان ماشین نَداریم –

2

– darbast!
– darbast.
.دَربَست –

– Where would you like to go?
– kojâ tašrif mibarid?
کُجا تَشریف می بَرید؟ –

– Contemporary Art Museum.
– muze(h)-ye honarhâ-ye mo’âser.
.موزه یِ هُنَرهایِ مُعاصِر –

– The one close to Park-e Lâle(h)?
– hamun ke nazdik-e pârk-e lâle(h) ast?
هَمون که نَزدیک پارکِ لاله اَست؟ –

– Yes
– bale(h).
.بَله –

– Get in then.
– befarmâyid bâlâ.
.بِفَرمایید بالا –

– How much does it cost?
– čeqadr miše?
چِقَدر می شه؟ –

– 60,000 toman.
– šast toman.
.شَصت تومَن –

– It is expensive!
– xeyli gerune(h).
!خِیلی گِرونه –

– How much do you want to pay?
– čeqadr mixây bedi?
چِقَئر می خوای بِدی؟ –

– 30,000 toman.
– si toman.
.سی تومَن –

– No, it is not enough. 40,000?
– xeyli kame(h), čehel toman xube(h)?
خِیلی کَمه. چِهِل تومَن خوبه؟ –

– Ok, deal .
– bâše(h), xube(h).
.باشه، خوبه –

For Taking a App-based Taxi in Farsi

1

– Can you call a taxi for me?
– miše(h) barâ-ye man ye(h) esnap begiri?
می شه بَرای مَن یه اِسنَپ بِگیری؟ –

– Sure, where are you going?
– bale(h), masiretun kojâst?
بَله، مَسیرتون کُجاست؟ –

– To Parkway
– samt-e pârkvey
.سَمتِ پارک وِی –

2

– Did you choose the location correctly?
– locationetun ro dorost zadin?
لوکِیشِنِتون رُو دُرُست زَدین؟ –

– Yes, it is correct.
– bale(h), doroste(h).
.بَله، دُرُسته –

– Sorry, can you cancel the trip?
– bebaxšid, miše(h) safar ro kansel konid?
بِبَخشید، می شه سَفَر رو کَنسِل کُنید؟ –

– Why?
– čerâ?
چِرا؟ –

– There is a congestion, can’t rich you
– xeyli terâfike(h), nemitunam biyâm.
.خِیلی تِرافیکه، نِمی تونَم بیام –

taxi in taffic jam in farsi - Taking a Taxi in Iran

3

– What is your house number?
– pekâketun čande(h)?
پِلاکِتون چَنده؟ –

– Thirty seven.
– si-o haft
.سی و هَفت –

– I arrived.
– man residam.
.مَن رِسیدَم –

– I am waiting for you
– montazeretun hastam.
.مُنتَظِرِتون هَستَم –

– I am coming.
– dâram miyâm.
.دارَم میام –

– I am coming down.
– alân miyâm pâyin.
.اَلان می یام پایین –

OR:

– Where are you?
– šomâ kojâ hastin?
شُما کُجا هَستین؟ –

– I am close to your location.
– nazdik-e lokeyšenetun hastam.
.نَزدیکِ لُوکِیشِنِتون هَستَم –

– I am in Roudaki street.
– xiyâbân-e rudaki hastam.
.خیابانِ رودَکی هَستَم –

– How long should I wait?
– čeqadr dige bâyad montazer bemunam?
چِقَدر دیگه بایَد مُنتَظِر بِمونَم؟ –

– I’ll be there in three minutes.
– se(h) daqiqe dige(h) miresam.
.سه دَقیقه یِ دیگه می رِسَم –