Transport authority to block Yandex Go in Latvia

RIGA - The Road Transport Administration has decided to annul the registration of Yandex Taxi company and to block its ride-hailing app Yandex Go, the transport authority's representative Zane Plone told LETA. 

She said that the decision has been taken after Yandex Go was found to ensure an active data exchange with Russia-based servers. 

The decision means that all electronic communication services providers will be sent out an instruction to block the mobile app and its website Yandex Go.

Starting this Wednesday, March 23, taxi services providers will be prohibited from using the Yandex Go app and the service provider will no longer be allowed to operate in Latvian territory. 

Plone warned that, in accordance with the Law on Carriage by Road, those taxi companies that will continue to use Yandex Go will face a fine for use of an unregistered website. 

The Road Transport Administration is currently drawing up the blocking request that will be sent out to all electronic communications companies, said Kristians Godins, head of the Road Transport Administration. 

The Road Transport Administration already temporarily blocked Yandex Go in March 2020 because the company had not been registered with the Road Transport Administration but continued to provide transport services. 

As reported, the Road Transport Administration last week was looking into sanctioned business executive Tigran Khudaverdyan's links to the Latvian-registered ride-hailing Yandex Taxi. Meanwhile, Yandex representatives informed on March 15 that Khudaverdyan stepped down with immediate effect from his positions as Executive Director and Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Yandex and its subsidiaries.