Taxi drivers in Brest are cashing in on long queues of buses waiting to cross into Poland, according to Nashaniva.
Travellers describe being offered rides from the rear of the queue to buses nearer the barrier, often with a promised seat transfer.
How the scheme works
One passenger, Timofey, said a taxi driver offered to take him to the front for €50, with the fare covering both the taxi and a bus seat. He paid the Polish bus driver rather than the taxi driver directly.
Chat reports collected by the outlet also describe app-booked taxis for about 9–10 Belarusian rubles to the border, while unlicensed “hawker” drivers asked for around 25 rubles. Some travellers said weekend “delivery and seating” deals reached €150 when more than 30 buses were ahead.
Seats at the front are typically freed by passengers who left buses still stuck at the back. Nashaniva says some users call the taxi trade “another mafia” feeding off the queue; others advise using licensed apps to avoid unofficial hawkers.