what will the regulators’ attention turn out to be for the taxi market?
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The prolonged increase in taxi prices and numerous complaints from passengers and carriers attracted the attention of the Federal Antimonopoly Service to Yandex.Taxi, whose market position the agency recognized as dominant. Lawyers believe that the regulator’s activity will not end with verbal interventions: the conflict could lead to the introduction of self-regulatory standards in the taxi segment. However, the market does not believe in the weakening of Yandex.Taxi’s position due to the high entry threshold for new players and calls for weakening the regulation of independent carriers.
Taxi services in Russia continue to rise in price. According to the Check Index, in the first quarter of 2024 in Moscow the average check increased by 6% year-on-year, to 797 rubles, in Russia – by 8%, to 489 rubles. In 2023, according to Tinkoff Cashier estimates, in Russia it increased by 17%, to 328 rubles, in Moscow – by 21%, to 522 rubles.
Managing Director of Citymobil and Taxovichkof Dmitry Kovalenko speaks of even greater growth – an average of 40%, explaining the dynamics by rising prices for cars and spare parts, difficulties with maintenance, and rising fuel prices. The head of the Irkutsk company “Six Deuces” Stanislav Tatarnikov notes that in the region taxi prices have risen by 10–12% over the year, and the demand for orders has decreased. In Voronezh, prices increased by 20–30% over the year, a source at the local market told Kommersant.
A representative of the public council for taxi development in the Ural Federal District, Vladimir Gerasimenko, estimates the increase in the average tariff over the past year at 18–22%. Director of the Ekaterinburg taxi fleet “MoToR 777” Andrey Tokmakov notes that over the year the turnover increased by about 20%, and the costs of insurance and vehicle maintenance “by several times.” Mr. Gerasimenko explains that even self-employed drivers should have compulsory motor liability insurance for carriers, which costs 70–100 thousand rubles. for the policy.
The situation attracted the attention of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS); until recently, the service could do little due to anti-crisis restrictions on inspections. Commenting on the easing of the ban in March, the head of the service, Maxim Shaskolsky, emphasized that now the department will be able to check Yandex.Taxi. The FAS clarified to Kommersant that in 2023 it received more than 300 complaints about the service. For example, State Duma deputy Ekaterina Stenyakina sent an appeal to the FAS, pointing out that the cost of travel in Rostov-on-Don has increased by 43% over the year.
Regions of Contention
The head of the competence center of the International Eurasian Taxi Forum, Stanislav Shvagerus, estimates the share of Yandex.Taxi in Moscow at 96.3%. The head of the analytical department of the Ricom-Trust investment company, Oleg Abelev, says that the service managed to take such a significant share due to the consolidation of other players, including Uber in the Russian Federation.
In the regions, Oleg Abelev clarified, the situation differs and there are entities where Yandex.Taxi occupies less than 30%. In Yakutia, according to local taxi driver Arsen Nikolaev, Drivee (formerly inDrive) has the main market share: “Almost no one uses other applications.” The Drivee service is also available in other regions, but, according to the head of the Novosibirsk Taxi Workers Association, Andrey Artyukh, it, as well as the Maxim service, is mainly used by drivers blocked in Yandex.Taxi.
The owner of a taxi fleet of 90 cars in Krasnodar, Alexander Shapran, filed a claim with the Moscow Arbitration Court against Yandex.Taxi LLC in August 2023, demanding the restoration of the terminated contract and the acceptance of new terms of the offer that exclude discrimination against carriers. The plaintiff complains about unfavorable tariffs and the practice of blocking drivers without explanation, lawyer of the Association of Regional Passenger Carriers Ekaterina Burnos tells Kommersant. According to the association, since 2017, Yandex.Taxi has unilaterally made changes to the terms of the agreement with partners 95 times.
In the Krasnodar Territory, Yandex.Taxi is the only major player in the passenger passenger transportation market. The situation is similar in the Stavropol Territory, where Maxim and local services Poekhali and Pchelka occupy a small share overall, say drivers working in the region. In the Voronezh region, Taxi Troika competes with Yandex.Taxi. In Irkutsk, Stanislav Tatarnikov calls the main player “Six Deuces” with a share of 60%.
Chairman of the Public Council for Taxi Development Irina Zaripova adds that over the past two years the number of regional taxi ordering services in Russia has grown from 430 to 520.
Muddy algorithms
Nevertheless, the dominant position of one aggregator negatively affects the development of the market, emphasizes Maxim Shusharin, director of the managing organization of the Maxim service. According to him, a carrier that cannot change the service is forced to agree to conditions that “do not fully suit” it, and working in a taxi “becomes less attractive.” With “more obvious competition,” taxi drivers can choose services based on the size of the commission, and the services reduce them in the fight for drivers, says Orts Madayev, operating director of GTK-Holding.
Director of the Union of Automotive Entrepreneurs of the Sverdlovsk Region Liliya Saranchuk clarifies that not all complaints from drivers about Yandex.Taxi due to the size of the commission are legitimate: “The fees are justified, since in a situation of “downtime” the service pays taxi drivers bonuses.”
The FAS told Kommersant that they are in favor of reducing commissions and other payments charged by Yandex.Taxi to carriers “from the current 28% to a competitive level.” The company “does not fully disclose the pricing algorithm,” the FAS notes. The service added that it had already sent a letter to Yandex.Taxi stating that possible violations and proportionate measures of liability should be fully clarified. But this, like the requirement to reduce fees from carriers, has not been fully implemented, the FAS emphasized.
Yandex.Taxi assured Kommersant that the company “is constantly in dialogue with the FAS about pricing and blocking conditions in the service.” Taking into account the service’s comments, the service has already implemented a number of changes, they say. In particular, the aggregator has detailed its offers: now passengers and drivers receive warnings and notifications about restrictions with a link to new publicly available rules. The service has also abandoned the practice of indefinite blocking, and provides for long-term ones only for “gross violations.”
Practice in its infancy
Veta Managing Partner Ilya Zharsky explains that the relationship between aggregators and taxi companies and passengers is regulated by the specialized Federal Law No. 580 on the organization of taxi transportation.
But in the event of a conflict with the FAS, we are talking about a violation of antimonopoly legislation. Elizaveta Savina, Head of Antimonopoly Compliance at Kulik & Partners Law.Economics, clarifies that from September 2023, taxi aggregators are subject to Art. 10.1 of the Law on Protection of Competition. But since its entry into force, there has been a moratorium on inspections of IT companies, which was lifted only on March 28, 2024, and the practice of application is “in its infancy,” she says.
According to the head of the antimonopoly practice of Rustam Kurmaev and Partners, Elena Kuznetsova, the FAS could obtain data on the share of Yandex.Taxi by analyzing previously concluded transactions. But in order to establish the dominant position of the service during the period when antitrust laws were allegedly violated, a new analysis must be carried out, she believes. If signs of violations are identified, depending on their nature, the FAS may issue a warning and initiate an antimonopoly case, says Anastasia Kayukova, head of antimonopoly and regulatory projects at Vegas Lex.
Ilya Zharsky calls the most severe possible measure a turnover fine of up to 15% of revenue in the market where the violation was committed; in exceptional cases, we can talk about suspension of activities. In 2023, Yandex’s revenue in the ridetech segment, which includes taxis, grew by 36%, to 165.8 billion rubles, the company reported.
Anastasia Kayukova considers it unlikely that the FAS will limit itself to only verbal interventions against Yandex. Elizaveta Savina is confident that the result could be industry self-regulation measures, similar to the work of marketplaces. The restrictions will have a short-term effect, but then will lead to a decrease in the quality of services, market participants believe. Irina Zaripova warns that price regulation could exacerbate carrier shortages.
At the same time, Stanislav Schwagerus emphasizes that “there are traditionally not many operators in the public transport systems of any country.” According to Oleg Abelev, in any region where Yandex.Taxi is located, new companies will have to bear losses for a long time, reducing commissions. A Kommersant source among alternative players explains that Yandex “had other large profitable areas as donors for taxis, and competitors in the taxi market operate mainly in one segment, without having such a volume of funds.”
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