Mart Jesse, chairman of the board of LKF, said that app taxis are more dangerous than regular ones in traffic. "While regular taxis were three times as likely to cause a crash than private passenger cars, this grew to seven times for app taxis.

The economic activities register listed 7,000 taxis in Estonia last year of which 5,440 were so-called app taxis associated with transport service platform operators, such as Bolt or Uber.

Jesse believes the situation in app-based taxi services is troubling. "The frequency of accidents in traditional taxis is decreasing, but not in app-based taxis. It would be appropriate for platforms to pay more attention to their drivers' traffic behavior. Also, it's probably time for state authorities to review the regulations related to taxi services, ensuring they meet societal expectations regarding traffic safety," Jesse said, explaining that accident frequency simply indicates the percentage of vehicles causing an accident within one year.

In 2023, taxis caused 1,030 motor insurance events, with total damage of €2.2 million and the average damage per case of €2,180.

Jevgeni Maksin, head of loss adjustment for insurer BTA, also said that the traffic safety of app-based taxis should be paid more attention. "The era when taxi drivers knew street names by heart is coming to an end. Even experienced drivers use map applications in apps, but by doing so, their attention may stray from the road, leading to traffic accidents," said Maksin.

"The fact that anyone, regardless of their driving skills or language proficiency, can be an app-based taxi driver makes it more dangerous. Drivers often work at night in addition to their primary job, which can lead to accidents caused by overworking or fatigue. Taxi drivers cause more accidents because they drive much more than regular vehicles, especially in dense urban traffic and often during peak hours," Maksin added.

The Estonian Motor Insurance Bureau (LKF) is a motor insurance guarantee fund, compensation body and the Estonian Green Card bureau.

The LKF guarantees the functioning of the motor insurance system by performing the functions arising from the Motor Insurance Act, the management contract entered into with the state and its articles of association.

All insurers that offer motor insurance in Estonia are members of the LKF.

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