You should drive: cab drivers will be tested on their knowledge of the city and transportation rules

From March 1, cab drivers in Moscow and the Moscow region who have not been certified for their knowledge of the city, transportation rules and actions in emergency situations will not be able to take orders. In the future, such rules may appear in other regions as well. How these changes will affect the cab drivers and passengers, how much will increase prices for services, as well as other problems of the taxi industry discussed deputies, officials and experts. Details in the material "Izvestia".

Will you show me the road?

On March 1, mandatory certification for cab drivers will be introduced in Moscow and the Moscow region. This was announced during a press conference in the MICE "Izvestia" by the head of the development of taxi transportation department of transport and development of road transport infrastructure of Moscow, Sergei Alexyuk. He said that the certification consists of three blocks concerning cab driver's knowledge of the main infrastructure facilities and routes to them, rules of passenger and luggage transportation, as well as actions in emergency situations.

- The test consists of ten questions, 20 minutes are allocated for them. To pass the certification, you need to answer eight of them. We see that about 80% of cab drivers pass the certification from the first time, - said Sergei Oleksyuk.

According to him, the questions proposed in the test simulate situations and actions of the driver in case of an accident, fire, detection of things forgotten by passengers in the cabin, including items that can be potentially dangerous. The certification also requires the cab driver to choose the optimal route to key infrastructure facilities - train stations, sports, leisure, medical facilities, etc.

A win-win for passengers

According to Ilya Zotov, Chairman of the All-Russian Passengers Association, Deputy Chairman of the Public Council under the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation, the certification of cab drivers is primarily aimed at protecting the interests of passengers.

- I think that there is not a single passenger who would be against the fact that the driver who is taking him, navigates in the city, not constantly distracted by the navigator, knows how to behave in some emergency situation, - he said.

Ilya Zotov emphasized that Moscow and the Moscow region, which became the first regions in Russia, where the system of cab drivers' certification is introduced, had been going to it for quite a long time. Other regions should not copy it at once, they should introduce it gradually, having established certain transition periods, he believes.

Artem Kiryanov, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy, believes that the main task of certification is to ensure the safety of transportation and passengers. The experiment in the capital region will be studied, its law enforcement practice will be analyzed and in the future it may become the basis for expanding the certification of cab drivers in other regions, taking into account the identified problems and difficulties, he said.

Irina Zaripova, Chairman of the Public Council for Taxi Development, is sure that the new rules will make the trips more comfortable and qualitative for passengers.

- The test questions are quite simple. The procedure itself takes about 20 minutes, is conducted electronically and does not cause drivers any special difficulties. Moreover, in some sense this certification acts as an additional education for cab drivers: in some cases drivers learn something new for themselves. All this will favorably affect the end user - passengers, - said Irina Zaripova.

Orientation in the city is an important component in the work of a cab driver, she emphasized. The driver's knowledge of doublers and alternative routes, compared to the route offered by the navigator, will provide a more comfortable and faster trip, the expert noted.

Child travel and localization of cars

Along with the introduction of mandatory certification, the roundtable participants discussed the general problems and difficulties that have recently arisen in the industry. Now they are primarily related to the actively discussed possibilities of introducing special child fares, as well as localization requirements for cars, experts believe.

According to Irina Zaripova, before discussing the issue of preferential fares for travel with children, it is necessary to analyze the share of such trips, their length. To set such tariffs by a simple "stroke of a pen" is absolutely unreasonable, she believes.

- In this case, there is a risk that drivers will simply refuse such orders. The tariffs should be first of all balanced, taking into account both the interests of passengers with children and the additional load, which in such transportation falls on the driver, - said the expert.

Irina Zaripova said that, according to a survey of cab drivers, additional risks for them in the case of transportation of children are contamination of the cabin (32% of respondents), conflicts with parents (28%), transportation of children without adults, when parents remotely order cars for their child (22%), as well as distraction of the driver from the road (14%). Other reasons account for the remaining 4%.

Experts also question the initiatives to introduce special preferential cab fares for large families. According to Ilya Zotov, often such transportation by a regular car with "checkers" is simply impossible.

- It is obvious that a family of mom, dad and three or four children will not be able to go in one car: they simply will not fit all together. So, you need either two cab cars or a large minivan. But it is obvious that the cost of a minibus cannot be the same as an economy-class sedan," he said.

According to Zotov, the issue of mobility of large families should be solved not by introducing special cab fares for them, but by subsidizing the purchase of personal vehicles and providing various additional benefits, such as free travel on toll roads.

Another acute issue for the industry is the prospect of introducing requirements for localization of used cars. According to Ilya Zotov, the rash introduction of such restrictions may lead to the withdrawal of a significant number of cab drivers from the market and an increase in fares.

- There are about half a million self-employed people in our country who work with their own cars. And by no means always they are models of domestic automakers," he said.

The introduction of any restrictions and special regimes in the cab industry will lead to the growth of the shadow economy in this industry, said Artem Kiryanov, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy.

- There will be kickbacks, illegal schemes, because people are interested in work. Within a year or two we will get 50% of the shadow market of passenger transportation, - he said.

What will happen to prices

Valery Korneev, the head of the Union of Platform Users "Digital World", doubts that cab drivers who are not certified will be disconnected from orders. According to him, if the authorities' promise to block them is fulfilled, it will lead to even higher prices for transportation, which are already prohibitive.

- I don't think that cab drivers will be blocked. Therefore, in my opinion, the certification period will be extended, because there are not enough cab drivers in Moscow. And without it we see huge price hikes in two, three or more times - he told "Izvestia".

Dmitry Gusev, deputy head of the Just Russia faction, on the contrary, believes that, most likely, some cab drivers who have not passed certification will be shut down. He notes that there is already a shortage of drivers, especially during peak hours. In the morning and evening, prices skyrocket, and there are not enough cars. If the situation does not change, cabs will become a luxury available only to the rich, he believes.

- Carriers said in December that the cost of travel has risen by 30% on average for the year as a whole. Why? Because the fewer drivers, the higher the cost. This is inevitable when supply does not cover demand. That is, from March 1, Muscovites should expect another price hike," he said.

The Moscow Department of Transport and Road Infrastructure Development is confident that the introduction of mandatory certification of cab drivers from March 1 will not affect the number of cars with "checkers" and the cost of trips.

- At the moment about 78% of drivers registered in Moscow already have this certification, and 95% of cab drivers have been trained. Judging by the number of daily tests, almost all drivers will be certified in the time remaining until March 1. There will definitely be no shortage of cabs in the region, - assured Sergei Alekseiuk.

Since the procedure of cab driver training and the certification itself are free of charge, it will not affect the cost of cab rides, he added. Irina Zaripova adheres to the same position.

Nevertheless, other factors may well lead to an increase in the price of cab services, experts warn. So, if the localization requirements are still introduced and apply to self-employed drivers, this could lead to an immediate 30-40% increase in fares, according to Ilya Zotov.

- I think that it is ideal that the cost of cab will not increase above the inflation rate, at least in economy class, but if we say about the growth of 15-20%, we probably will not be wrong, - believes Artem Kiryanov.