The number of MTPL contracts for taxis has increased by 27% since the beginning of the year

The number of MTPL contracts for taxi drivers has increased sharply, according to data from the Russian Union of Auto Insurers (RUA). This was facilitated by the adoption of a law in which the absence of a policy is grounds for suspension of a permit to transport passengers by taxi. However, the total number of contracts still lags significantly behind the actual number of taxis. Experts attribute the situation to the high price of policies and the reluctance of insurers to enter the unprofitable segment.

Kommersant got acquainted with RSA data, according to which the number of MTPL contracts for taxis over 11 months increased by 27%, to almost 194 thousand. Since August, the number of policies issued has increased on average one and a half times a month, consistently exceeding 20 thousand.

RSA associates the growth with the entry into force in September of a law according to which the absence of a compulsory motor liability insurance agreement is grounds for suspending a permit to transport passengers by taxi.

“This served as an incentive for taxi owners to enter into MTPL agreements and indicate the correct purpose of use – transportation of passengers,” the organization says.

In addition, according to experts, the trend may be explained by the work of the OSAGO reinsurance pool. It allows insurers to more evenly redistribute losses across the market and smoothes out the negative effect of sales of MTPL taxis, explains Alexey Yanin, managing director for ratings of insurance and investment companies at Expert RA. In 2022, the share of MTPL contracts transferred to the reinsurance pool was only 13%, but taxis accounted for 80% of all such contracts (see “Kommersant” dated April 19).

At the same time, according to the Public Council for Taxi Development (PTDC), the number of taxis in the country in August was about 351 thousand cars.

The number of MTPL policies lags behind the actual number of taxis, primarily due to the high cost of insurance.

The upper limit of the tariff corridor for taxis is almost twice as large as for passenger cars of individuals, and in the case of transfer to a pool, insurers choose the base tariff precisely at the upper limit, explains Banki.ru expert Alexander Makarov.

According to OSRT, slightly more than half of the surveyed taxi drivers (53%) without a special MTPL policy for taxis did not take out one precisely because of the high cost. The cost of a policy issued to a legal entity in Moscow can reach up to 120–130 thousand rubles. per year, the organization’s report notes. According to RSA, the average MTPL premium for taxi drivers over nine months was just over 26 thousand rubles, while for ordinary drivers it was about 7 thousand rubles.

Many market participants, in their speeches at specialized events, note that it is more economically profitable for them not to purchase compulsory motor liability insurance policies at all and to pay for losses from their own funds, emphasizes Alexey Yanin.

In addition, according to the expert, insurers are also not interested in working with taxis, since they do not make money on such policies: according to statistics, in 90% of cases of accidents involving a taxi car, it is the culprit. According to the Central Bank, payments under MTPL agreements concluded in 2018–2020 in relation to fees amounted to 122–125% (see “Kommersant” dated June 6).

However, in the short term, according to experts, the number of MTPL contracts for taxis will continue to grow. “This growth itself became possible due to the fact that market participants realized that the financial model that has developed today gives them the resource to start working in this segment,” believes Alexander Makarov. At the same time, according to B1 partner Tatyana Samsonova, since the price of such a policy is much higher than the price of a policy for an ordinary motorist, there may be an increase in demand for short OSAGO policies, as well as an increase in prices for taxi services.

Yulia Poslavskaya