The government persuades businesses to invest in gas stations with hotels, cafes and shops

Against the background of the growing interest of Russians in domestic autotourism, the government declares the need to improve the quality of road infrastructure, in particular, to expand the network of roadside multifunctional zones that combine gas stations, parking lots, hotels and shops. On behalf of the White House, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Economy and Avtodor will figure out how to more actively involve businesses in projects to create such complexes. Experts urge the authorities to first create and approve at least the general layout of gas stations, and only then think about the rest of the infrastructure.

Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin instructed the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Economy and the state company Avtodor to submit proposals by September 26 for the creation of multifunctional road service complexes (or multifunctional zones, MFZ) using the public-private partnership mechanism, as well as ideas to simplify the construction of MFZ adjoining roads.

Multifunctional zones – gas stations combined with cafes, toilets, car washes, recreation areas, hotels, service stations, souvenir shops, etc. Car owners, we recall, regularly complain about the lack of gas stations and MPFs on Russian highways. A few years ago, after the opening of sections of the M-11 highway, it happened that due to the lack of gas stations, drivers ran out of fuel en route or had to queue at fuel stations (subsequently, Avtodor partially solved the problem by installing container gas stations). In 2022, the Accounts Chamber also confirmed the problem. Avtodor promised to prevent such situations: on the M-12 Moscow-Kazan highway, in particular, there will be 32 MFZs. At the same time, the state-owned company claims that the complexes are being built with the money of investors (9.4 billion rubles have been invested in the already opened ones), a number of regions have similar experience (for example, in Bashkiria).

The topic of building an MFZ and attracting investment in this business in the regions was discussed on July 26 during a government meeting on tourism development, where Mikhail Mishustin spoke about the growth of domestic tourist flow, including due to the “role of an external factor.” Prime Minister of Bashkiria Andrei Nazarov mentioned the problem of “low marginality” of MFZ on municipal roads due to low traffic. In addition, the official said, companies spend an average of 100 million rubles on the creation of a roadside service facility, 50% of which are spent on infrastructure and the construction of access ramps. These funds should be included immediately in the road project, Mr. Nazarov noted, admitting, however, that this could lead to an increase in the cost of design and estimate documentation. The official also complained about the length of the procedure for building connections to federal highways. Following the meeting, Mikhail Mishustin gave instructions to the departments.

The Ministry of Economy, together with the Ministry of Transport and the regions, is already developing a concept for the development of autotourism. The construction of the MFZ is a “key issue” in the framework of its development, Kommersant was told in the press service of the department. “Now several types of such zones are being considered, taking into account the distance from large settlements, traffic routes, the needs of tourists based on an analysis of their “client path,” the department said. “The introduction of uniform standards will help avoid chaotic infrastructure development and determine the optimal financial model for projects”. An option is being considered in which businesses participating in MFZ projects will be given “preferences” when connecting to engineering networks and organizing congresses, the Ministry of Economy added.

“It is important to settle property and land issues,” says Anna Batueva, Managing Director for Legal Support of Projects at the National PPP Center. “In particular, can the concessionaire create road service facilities and register them as his property? Or can it provide land to third parties, so that they, in turn, create such objects in their own property?

“As long as there is no general scheme for the development of gas stations in the country, it is difficult to attract investors to the development of the MFZ,” Dmitry Gusev, deputy chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Reliable Partner Association, believes. “Today, the company opens a gas station, and a few months later, a competitor suddenly opens another . The gas station business is already extremely low-margin, and there is also excessive competition. There must be a clear plan for all roads. Places should be played at tenders, the company should understand that only it will refuel at this particular site. Only under these conditions will banks lend to businesses for a long time, investors will plan profits by investing in hotels, cafes, car washes and other elements of the MFZ.”

Most of the existing MFZs are more like gas stations with cafes, says Piotr Shkumatov, coordinator of the Blue Buckets movement. There should be a single standard with a place for hotels, a car service, a pharmacy, long-term parking, lighting and video surveillance. “I admit that zones can be divided into different types, but the standard must be exactly the same,” the expert says. “Land should be allocated for them, communications should be organized, and the territory should be prepared. Places can be sold to businesses at auctions or given away if the place is not accessible. You can even make a single design code for the MFZ. And now it’s chaos.”

Ivan Buranov