The draft law on taxi localization may be adopted in the second reading on May 13.

The Public Council for Taxi Development called for prioritizing the use of cars localized in the Russian Federation instead of banning foreign cars. The relevant bill is scheduled to be considered in the second reading on May 13. The text of the address of the chairman of the council, Irina Zaripova, to the Speaker of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, appeared at the disposal of Izvestia on May 12.

"A simple ban on the use of non-localized means of production of passenger taxi services has no analogues in Russian industrial policy in other sectors of the economy, will overload the current administrative system for regulating passenger taxis, multiply the shadow sector and cause discontent among Russian citizens," the council said.

The document notes that the bill needs to be finalized. Thus, it is proposed to clarify the list of requirements for a localized taxi car in accordance with the provisions of the federal law "On Industrial Policy in the Russian Federation".

It is also proposed to postpone the beginning of the requirement for the compliance of cars allowed in taxis with the required localization level from October 1, 2025 to January 1, 2033.

"Priority should be based on a fair differentiated system — economic benefits for those using domestic cars and increased payments for those using foreign cars for various economic reasons," the council stressed.

The organization stated that the consolidation of mandatory technical requirements will not stimulate the development of specialized cars for taxis in Russia, as is currently being done in China.

Domestic driver: the introduction of taxi localization may be postponed to 2026

The industry is asking for a complete revision of the bill

On May 6, it was reported that the State Duma Committee on Transport is considering the possibility of a localization bill coming into force in the spring of 2026. Prior to that, on April 10, it became known that the State Legal Department (GPU) of the Presidential Administration of the Russian Federation insists on the need for further discussion of this bill.