The reasons for the new rise in taxi prices are named

In recent months, the cost of taxi trips in Moscow and other Russian cities has increased significantly. You can’t go to a bakery for a hundred rubles anymore – for one or two kilometers you have to shell out 200-300 rubles. Long trips around the city have not yet risen in price by two or three times, but in absolute terms they have risen quite significantly.

For example, the usual route, which a year ago cost 500-600 rubles, now costs a thousand. At a press conference at NSN, experts explained the reasons for the rise in taxi prices in Russia and how much the popular mode of transport will become more expensive.

People seem to have become accustomed to fast taxi service and fairly affordable prices – but the glorious time is over, they will have to get used to it. Nothing good awaits passengers. The number of taxis will inevitably decline. At the same time, car brands will change, comfort will decrease, and travel prices will continue to rise.

“There are many reasons for the increase in tariffs,” says Artem Kiryanov, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy. – The first and most obvious: in Russia the cost of cars is increasing, including due to sanctions and environmental fees; Costs for spare parts, consumables, fuel, oils, and maintenance are rising. The taxi business is becoming unprofitable. A taxi driver is not a person who goes out on the road to earn something, as in the 1990s. As far as I know, in recent years people have invested in taxis who themselves did not plan to drive. They bought 10-15 cars and organized a small business. But now investing in cars and giving them to taxis is a dubious project.

The main influence on pricing is exerted by rising prices for cars. Vice-President of the National Automobile Union Jan Heitzer emphasizes that state policy is aimed at using vehicles produced in Russia in taxis. And this is a global problem.

On the one hand, Chinese cars are very expensive, and the strategy of Chinese manufacturers is not aimed at Russia – we are a small market for them. In the best years, up to 3 million Chinese cars were sold per year in Russia, and 23 million in China itself. These are incomparable numbers. In addition, it is mainly third-rate companies that are showing interest in Russia; there are a lot of questions about their products, not only in terms of price, but also in terms of the quality of the machines.

On the other hand, most domestic cars are not domestic at all. “Even the notorious Lada Granta, which does not meet all safety standards and certain comfort, cannot become a fully Russian car,” says Jan Heitzeer. – Very simple things – for example, seat belts, as the head of the plant himself admits, have to be bought abroad. The same applies to the Moskvich – the car is expensive, but also not localized in Russia, that is, it depends on foreign components.”

It is unknown when exactly the Moskvich will be assembled entirely from Russian parts. This car is not in demand, and its sales plans for the next year have been halved, says the head of the National Automobile Union. “The taxi driver is thinking: should he buy a Chinese car for 2.5 million rubles or a Russian one for four million? What do you think he will prefer? – Yang Haize’er asks a rhetorical question, emphasizing that the Chinese authorities, due to the political situation, can at any moment “wag their tail” and leave the Russian market.

In this case, cars will definitely become unavailable, and taxi fares will rise at a breakneck pace. According to Jan Heitzer, “our country needs to bring in new manufacturers to produce diverse, affordable and not so affordable cars.” In this case, there will be at least some competition.

The second reason for the rise in prices for taxi services is the outflow of migrants from Russia. Some leave due to circumstances, others by their own free will. The fact is that in some Russian regions (for example, in the Chelyabinsk region), visitors from other countries were prohibited from working in taxis, so as not to take away vacancies from local residents and not create dangerous situations on the roads. As a result, the number of drivers has already dropped by 20% and will continue to decline.

Jan Heitzeer says that he does not see how a person who comes from abroad is fundamentally different from a Russian – of course, if he knows the city, local traffic rules and, ideally, the language. Yes, the number of fines and previously committed crimes do not allow a person to drive a taxi – but the same applies to citizens of the country.

Taxi driver-blogger Yegor Ryabkov believes that migrants do not occupy the jobs that Russians are applying for. However, according to him, they are actively leaving due to changes in the ruble exchange rate to other countries. For example, vacancies for work in Dubai have appeared in Kyrgyzstan. And residents of the Central Asian country go there with great pleasure.

“Migrants merge exactly when they understand that their income will be greater in another country, be it South Korea, the United Arab Emirates or Turkey,” supports colleague Jan Haizeer. – Now that time has come. Therefore, it is obvious that in Russia a taxi will again become a luxury. It will no longer be possible to travel for a hundred rubles along with a cup of coffee from home to the metro or a neighboring area.