Drivers and taxi companies are waiting for rainy October and raise prices

As soon as the calendar summer ended (and the academic year, on the contrary, began), Muscovites felt a sharp rise in taxi prices. And not at all by the “inflation rate” – but right away by one and a half to two times. For example, a trip, which in the summer was estimated by the aggregator at 800 rubles, now “weighs” under one and a half thousand. At the same time, the waiting time for cars plays a cruel joke: getting used to calling a car at the last moment, people are late. When and at what level the growth in taxi prices will stop, MK found out.

– I drove my daughter to school on September 4, I was half an hour late, I was reprimanded from everyone at once, and most importantly, from my daughter herself, – says Valery, the father of a sixth grader; the family lives in Krylatskoye, and the school is located in the Novy Arbat area. And all because usually calling a taxi took 5-7 minutes on the strength, and here the order was taken only half an hour after pressing the button. The driver told me that many did not get on the line because there was no work permit, which is required from September 1st.

Sergei, the owner of a small Moscow carrier company (about 10 vehicles), confirmed that since the beginning of September, not all of his vehicles have entered the line. “I have all the drivers that I have, they have all the necessary permits, the status of self-employed,” the businessman confirmed. – Working to find drivers for the entire fleet so that the cars do not stand idle. The holiday season is still going on, I’m waiting for a couple of people from the sea, they should come. But I am also actively looking for, offering assistance in obtaining permission. I explain that this is not scary. So far with mixed success.

According to the carrier, many of his familiar drivers are in the process of completing the necessary paperwork – they waited literally until August 31, which will be announced about the next postponement of innovations. Recall that from September 1, in accordance with the new federal law on taxis, the driver must have a transportation permit (in fact, a license). And to obtain this document, you need, among other things, a certificate of good conduct, the execution of which takes some time. For many drivers, the status of self-employed is also a problem – not everyone, especially among Russian non-citizens, has mastered this generally simple technology.

“I know cases when the driver failed to properly arrange everything the first time, and he “arrives” with a blocking for no reason – it seems to be for providing false personal data,” says Sergey. – In general, this does not add to the desire to receive the entire package of documents.

Moreover, many drivers can even continue to work in the main aggregators without having permission – this is what the participants in the profile chat of taxi drivers say. “They don’t care,” one of the chat participants explained. – Minus 10 (fine – “MK”), and drove: one order in half an hour, export (profit after a working day) will always be, everything is thought out.

Everything except one: where to get the actual cars from. After all, not all individual taxi drivers own them, and taxi companies are now afraid to rent cars without transportation permits. “I don’t want to be extreme – God forbid, an accident, something,” says Sergey, the owner of the taxi depot. – Therefore, let the cars stand for a while, we will find the guys with permits in the end.

All this creates – here and now – a kind of “employee market”: there are few drivers with a full set of documents, the demand for them is high. “If things continue like this, in a couple of months we will already be traveling at completely different prices,” rejoices the taxi driver Almaz, who temporarily switched to the Delivery tariff, but is considering the possibility of obtaining a license. And since new rates for drivers means new rates for passengers, it’s like giving a drink.

An additional factor that may affect the situation is the possible introduction of a work and rest regime for taxi drivers. All the tools for this – both technical and regulatory – are available, and drivers expect this – an “eight-hour shift”.

“Is it possible to bypass this system, no one knows, so far there are a lot of rumors, but they say that it doesn’t work yet,” Almaz explained. – But maybe in October they will replay everything, make changes! That’s what people say.

Several interlocutors of MK are sure at once that the legislation will be revised immediately following the results of September – and the most inconvenient amendments for the industry will be able to “roll back”. The catalyst for this process can be just a sharp rise in the price of taxis and a shortage of cars – this is what September 2023 should be remembered for passengers, according to carriers.

“But there will be absolutely no reduction in tariffs on the part of aggregators, this can be argued,” says the owner of the carrier company. – Because gasoline has grown, and it will not fall in price. CMTPL tariffs are growing, and they will not decrease. And we, by the way, are raising car rentals – taking into account inflation, no more, but still this is not a reduction factor.

According to interviewed taxi drivers, the daily rent for an economy car is about 2,000 per day. For many carriers there is an additional fee – 14 – 18 thousand, the so-called savings deposit. This money needs to be “beaten off” – and therefore drivers (who, we recall, are not enough here and now) will insist on higher rates. Given that, from the point of view of the aggregator, it is completely indifferent from what absolute figure for the trip to take your percentage.

“We are especially looking forward to the rainy season, then there will be more orders, and they will be sharply more expensive,” says one of the interviewed taxi drivers, who has been working since the beginning of the 2010s. – In good rain, a trip from the station within the Moscow Ring Road brings about 1000 rubles net, this is very good. And in Moscow, people are not poor, when it rains, they will not save.