The main share of taxi drivers' violations is incorrect registration of waybills, the fleets told Izvestia. According to them, it is precisely such claims that arise primarily during law enforcement raids — in some fleets, this is up to 90% of all fines. However, according to the traffic police, the most common categories are illegal marking of taxis. At the same time, the "Other violations" column contains figures five times higher than in the markup clause. Experts believe that this is where the claims to the registration of travel documents turn out to be. Now the requirements for them are so extensive that it is possible to undergo a technical and medical examination before the flight, "only if the technician and the doctor live in the same entrance with the driver," they say.
What violations do taxi drivers commit
Taxi drivers are most often fined for problems with travel documents, in particular for incorrect registration or lack of data on pre-trip medical and technical examination. Representatives of the industry told Izvestia about this.
A waybill is a document that confirms the driver's medical records and the technical condition of the vehicle before starting work on transporting passengers and cargo in a taxi. It records the time to get on the line and the route. Such a document is issued daily, and it is mandatory for everyone who works in taxi or cargo transportation.
In the Moscow region in early 2025, two State Traffic Inspectorate raids took place to check taxi drivers. As part of one of them, from February 14 to February 16, 2025, 11.4 thousand offenses among taxi drivers were identified in Moscow. And in the Moscow region, during the raid from January 27 to February 2, more than 3,000
The press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Moscow Region told Izvestia that in February, 5820 taxi cars were checked as part of the Taxi raid. Among the 3,052 violations identified, the most common were the unlawful application of special taxi markings to the car body (439), failure to pay an administrative fine on time (45) and driving without insurance, a license card or a waybill (35). At the same time, there were 2,450 marks in the "Other violations" column. The press service of the State Traffic Inspectorate of the capital has not yet provided information on Moscow to Izvestia.
With a high degree of probability, there are problems with medical and technical examinations in the column "Other violations" and , says auto expert Yulia Miloslavskaya. Spartak Zabolotsky, the owner of the Chocolate taxi company, said that more than 90% of the violations recorded during the raids were related to waybills, that is, information about technical and medical examinations.
— And the inspection certificate itself may be, but it will be issued in violation of deadlines, he added.
A huge number of violations in the registration of travel documents for taxi drivers are being revealed throughout Russia, confirmed Irina Zaripova, chairman of the Public Council for Taxi Development. Valery Korneev, Chairman of the Digital World Platform Users Union, agreed with her.
— The current federal law on the organization of passenger and baggage transportation by passenger taxi requires drivers to do the impossible — daily technical and medical examinations, he said. — Surprisingly, out of 170,000 taxi cars operating in Moscow, only 11.4 thousand were prosecuted for violations
According to the expert, if the inspectors began to verify the signatures and seals on the waybills that were affixed by medical workers and technical centers, the number of taxi drivers brought to justice would increase significantly. After all, the certificate stating that everything has been completed is most likely drawn.
And Mikhail Mikhailov, president of the Association for the Promotion of the Taxi Industry, said that "the law stipulates that it is possible to undergo examinations only if the technician and the doctor live in the same entrance with the driver."
What is the difficulty of issuing waybills
To receive a paper version of the waybill, the driver needs to undergo a medical examination by a doctor and give the car to a technician for diagnosis, who will be able to assess the condition of the car. After that, the taxi driver receives all the necessary seals and can start working.
To speed up medical examinations, it is now allowed to install a pre—trip monitoring device in taxi companies. It will measure blood pressure, body temperature, check for alcohol intoxication and send the data to a medical organization. In case of successful completion of the checks, the taxi driver will receive a QR code, which he will be able to show during the check by traffic police officers. But not all parks have such gadgets now.
Yulia Miloslavskaya noted that drivers often encounter situations where medical facilities or service stations have limited facilities — queues arise, which leads to a significant loss of time. And the Public Council for Taxi Development stated that it is necessary to place inspection points in places that drivers visit regularly, in particular near convenience stores, catering establishments and gas stations.
The drivers themselves, on condition of anonymity, told Izvestia that the procedure had become a formality for them and they often issue travel documents without going through the proper procedures.
— It's easier for me to pay money for a travel document, rather than looking for a place where I will undergo a medical examination, and then go to another one where my car will be examined, — said taxi driver Vladislav.
Another taxi driver, Sergey, noted that on weekends he often works at night, and the round—the—clock inspection points are far from his place of residence, so he quite consciously goes to violate the law by purchasing certificates of completion of all procedures.
The situation is also aggravated by the fact that a large number of self-employed people work in taxis, experts noted.
— In order for a self—employed taxi driver to undergo a medical examination, it is necessary to conclude an agreement with a medical institution or organization that has permission to conduct such examinations and come for the procedure every day, which makes it much more difficult to obtain this documentation, - said Irina Zaripova.
According to the registry of the Ministry of Transport of FGIS Taxi, at the beginning of February there were almost 94.7 thousand self-employed carriers.
Valery Korneev said that in the absence of a massively accessible infrastructure for medical and technical examinations, car taxi drivers may not pass them at all, but there will be a document about this.
— They receive a pack of already printed travel documents with marks about inspections for a week or even a month in advance," he said. — And for non-park drivers, there are hundreds of such advertisements for the sale of waybills with markings on the Internet. And the prices there range from 50 to 100 rubles per day.
The expert stated that there are no such requirements for issuing travel documents in any country in the world, and if these "obviously excessive requirements" are lifted, there will be no negative consequences for the safety of passengers and drivers.
— Their cancellation seems to be the most appropriate. And if we cancel them right now, then the security situation will definitely not get worse, since an extremely small percentage of drivers undergo checks. A maximum of 5%, — said Valery Korneev. — There is no infrastructure in the country to fully meet the requirements for medical and technical inspection.
Spartak Zabolotsky noted that today the taxi company's business model has become unprofitable due to increased expenses on various items.
— Leasing payments have almost doubled recently, he explained. — The tax burden and fines are increasing. The car that stands in the parking lot does not earn, the lost profit is covered by other cars, because of these factors, the prices of travel are rising.
What changes are being prepared to the taxi law
In September 2024, the Ministry of Transport submitted for public discussion a draft order of the department aimed at simplifying the procedure for pre-trip technical inspection. According to it, drivers who have completed special training will be able to independently conduct a pre-trip technical inspection of their cars.
Irina Zaripova called the amendments a "timely decision", given that modern cars are equipped with diagnostic systems that promptly detect malfunctions.
According to the annex to the draft of the Ministry of Transport, technical control can be carried out using subjective diagnostics performed using sensory organs without measuring instruments. Among the permitted diagnostic methods are visual inspection of components and assemblies, tactile analysis, in particular free movement of pedals and steering wheel, noise analysis and checking for unpleasant odors. With this check, the driver will be able to identify the main problems with the engine, braking system, steering and fuel system.
The date of entry into force of the law is set for March 1, 2025, however, while the draft document is at the stage of preparing an opinion on the regulatory impact assessment, it will then be submitted to the Ministry of Justice.
"The adoption of the draft order will lead to a reduction in the costs of transport entities and individuals for the organization and conduct of technical control of operated vehicles," the explanatory note said.
Izvestia sent a request to the agency with a request to inform about the fate of the document, as well as about what other measures are being prepared to solve the problem with the registration of travel documents.
In February 2025, the Digital World Platform Users Union sent a letter to Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin and Chairman of the Federation Council Valentina Matvienko. In it, he criticized the law "On the organization of passenger and baggage transportation by passenger taxi."
«In the summer of 2024, a large-scale study of the industry was conducted, which showed that the excessive requirements of 580—FZ led to the departure of about a million self-employed taxi drivers into the gray zone," the letter noted (Izvestia has it). "We believe that urgent intervention by the legislative and executive authorities is required: the repeal of part of the requirements of 580—FZ, the adjustment of provisions restricting the work of taxi drivers."
Medical and technical examinations were among such excessive requirements: according to the results of a survey of the union, which was attended by 7 thousand people, 94% of taxi drivers support their abolition.
«The lack of documents became the reason for bringing thousands of taxi drivers to administrative responsibility, they are fined, cars are taken to special parking lots for up to two months," the authors of the letter described the situation.
In addition, 89% of respondents voted that owners should not be forced to add their personal cars to the taxi registry. 86% were in favor of removing the requirements for the mandatory color of the car, checkers and a canopy lamp. 69% of drivers approved the initiative to allow drivers to take orders in any region, without reference to the place of registration (the law requires all taxi drivers to obtain work permits solely by registration). And 96% said that it is worth limiting the commission to the taxi aggregator. Drivers note that today the driver's income and the aggregator's margin are approximately equal.
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