Hold your pocket – carsharing – Newspaper Kommersant No. 202 (7403) dated 10/31/2022

Rising prices for cars and the cost of servicing personal cars are forcing Russians to use carsharing more and more often. As a result, over the nine months of 2022, the average check in such services increased by 17–29%. At the same time, taxi services showed more restrained dynamics. However, the growing consumer economy and the departure of some solvent Russians from the country remain limiting factors for the growth of the car rental market, as well as taxis.

The average cost of a car sharing trip in January-September 2022 increased by 25% year-on-year, to an average of 440 rubles, according to Post-Bank. Tinkoff Data recorded an increase over the same period by 17%, to 493 rubles, in CloudPayments – by 29%, to 319 rubles.

The majority of car sharing users surveyed by Post-Bank noted that they spend on average 3,000–5,000 rubles on services. per month.

At the same time, in the first nine months of 2022, taxi expenses using Post-Bank cards increased by 14%, to 676 million rubles, and the average check by 9%, to 218 rubles, the bank says. However, Tinkoff Data notes a decrease in the average cost of a trip by 2%, to 277 rubles. year by year. Taxi ordering service Maxim adds that the lowest taxi prices are usually observed in January and February, and the highest in July, August, September and December.

At the same time, according to CloudPayments, the online turnover of taxi services in January-September grew by 9% yoy, while the number of transactions decreased by 18%. Tinkoff Data notes that the surge in demand for taxi services occurred at the end of February.

Technology, media and telecommunications sector analyst Vladimir Bespalov notes that the taxi market is more developed in Russia, which is why it shows a restrained price growth trend.

“Sharing services began to develop in the country later, so this segment has significant growth potential,” he explains. In addition, Yuri Nikolaev, the publisher of the Trusharing portal, adds that car sharing companies have for some time held back the growth of tariffs in order to increase the number of users.

BelkaCar told Kommersant about an increase in the average check by 5% per year, explaining this by an increase in its fleet of premium cars, an increase in the duration and mileage of trips. Citydrive notes that in the spring prices for some cars increased, and for some they decreased.

The growth of the average bill for carsharing is affected by the rise in the cost of new cars and the repair of the existing vehicle fleet, adds Yuri Nikolaev. According to him, today the cost of a new Chinese car is comparable in price to a Korean or German car of the middle and business class until the spring of 2022.

According to a Pochta-Bank survey, about 70% of respondents most often use carsharing for short trips.

Approximately a third of respondents noted that they rent a car several times a month. According to Vladimir Bespalov, the fact that owning a car is becoming more expensive due to increased repair and maintenance costs can contribute to the growth in demand for car sharing services. In nine months, car sales in Russia fell by almost 60%, according to the Association of European Businesses (see “Kommersant” dated October 6).

At the same time, Yuri Nikolaev considers it premature to talk about a significant increase in the number of car sharing users in Russia. The expert notes that in recent months a large number of Russians have left the country, who were the audience of sharing services, like taxis. In addition, Mr. Nikolaev says, the economic situation in the country also has an impact: people are switching to saving mode, so in some cases, instead of spending extra money on carsharing, they will choose to travel by public transport. This is confirmed by Tinkoff Data, according to which the demand of Russians for carsharing decreased by 20% year-on-year. CloudPayments also notes a 24% reduction in transactions in this segment. But in Citydrive, on the contrary, they are talking about an increase in demand for travel, which is associated with an increase in the service’s fleet and the lifting of restrictions due to COVID-19.

Alina Savitskaya