The State Duma prepared a reform for taxi drivers: who will be allowed to drive

Experts promise that the cost of the trip will not increase

Russian taxi drivers are waiting for big changes. Now they are cab drivers “without family or tribe”, and can become representatives of a full-fledged profession. Dmitry Gusev, a deputy from the SRZP, proposed to the Minister of Labor Kotyakov to add a taxi driver to the state register of professions. What is behind the initiative, how taxi drivers themselves treat it and what it will cost passengers, MK found out.

“Today in Russia, the profession “Taxi driver” is not defined at the state level. At the same time, about 370 thousand taxi drivers work in the country (only in the Moscow region their number is estimated at 85 thousand). The work of a taxi driver requires special professional skills and competencies, concentration. It is associated with increased workload, difficult working conditions and risks of occupational diseases,” deputy Dmitry Gusev wrote in an address to the head of the Ministry of Labor of the Russian Federation Anton Kotyakov.

The parliamentarian noted that most taxi drivers work through service aggregator companies and have the status of self-employed or individual entrepreneurs. “Their rights are poorly protected, they sometimes do not form sufficient pension savings, have limited access to medical and other services,” the MP said in a letter.

In addition, the status of a taxi driver and qualification requirements, with the exception of the possession of a category “B” driver’s license, are not regulated and do not provide the necessary range of social guarantees.

– If the profession of a taxi driver appears at the state level, the prestige of the profession will also grow. Today, people often become taxi drivers just to earn extra money for a month or two. But this profession requires special skills and hard responsible work. Taxi drivers should be the most trained and best professionals. This is possible after the prestige of the profession rises. Then both salaries and the quality of service will grow, – Dmitry Gusev explained.

– Taxi in Russia still does not have the status of public transport, – recalls the chairman of the Interregional Transport Union Taras Shevchenko. Anyone who has a driver’s license and three years of experience can become a taxi driver.

– If the profession of a taxi driver becomes official, qualifications and digits will appear. This will make it possible to protect the rights of both employees and passengers, – Shevchenko comments on the initiative of the parliamentarian.

The expert recalled that in Soviet times it was very difficult to get a job as a taxi driver. Now everything is much easier. Even a license is given not for a driver, but for a car.

– A plus for the passenger will be safety and confidence that a professional is driving. A plus for the taxi fleet will be a decrease in the number of accidents. Road safety will also improve. Now the bus driver works according to the norm and can be behind the wheel for no more than eight hours. A taxi driver works at least 12 or even 16 hours. I worked on one aggregator, connected to another and work further,” Shevchenko said. At the same time, the expert noted that the introduction of innovation should not affect the cost of taxi services for passengers.

– Tariffs of taxi companies have not changed for two years. The cost that you see when ordering a taxi in the application is set not by the park, but by the aggregator. And it is completely unclear on what principles it is established. For example, according to the tariff of a taxi company, the tariff for a “comfort plus” class car is 199 rubles and then according to the meter for each kilometer. But the aggregator sets a minimum cost of 300 rubles for the passenger,” the expert explained.