Only 25% of Taxi Drivers in Moscow Meet New Requirements

As of September 1, only 25% of taxi drivers have received mandatory work permits that comply with new requirements. The remaining three-quarters of taxi drivers may lose their ability to work starting this autumn.

This information comes from a statement by the 'Digital World' association of users of digital platforms, as reported by 'Izvestia'. Social activists have sent a letter to the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Mishustin, requesting an extension on the deadline for the implementation of the new requirements that stipulate taxi drivers must obtain mandatory civil liability insurance for carriers by September 1.

This insurance is intended to ensure the safety of taxi passengers during trips. However, to obtain this insurance, drivers must first secure permission to drive a taxi. Currently, only 25% of drivers – primarily from Moscow – hold this permission, according to the letter's authors.

Valery Korneyev, head of the association, explained that according to data from aggregators, there are approximately 2.5 million people working in taxi services. Of the 1.5 million self-employed drivers, only 21,000 have obtained the necessary permit, which constitutes a mere 1.5% of the total. Additionally, 60% of the 600,000 taxi service workers, predominantly Muscovites, possess this permit.

Thus, starting in early autumn, 75% of drivers will be unable to work in the taxi services sector when the new requirements come into effect. To obtain a taxi driving permit, drivers must register their vehicles with regionally established attributes and possess a road sheet that indicates daily medical and technical inspections.

Meanwhile, Korneyev emphasized that there is currently no infrastructure in Russia for self-employed drivers to meet these requirements. The Ministry of Finance has opposed delaying the implementation of these requirements, stating that the innovations will enhance the insurance protection for passengers.