The State Duma adopted a bill on localization of taxi cars

The bill providing for the transfer of taxi companies to Russian cars was adopted by the State Duma immediately in the second and third readings on May 13. This follows from the information on the website of the lower house of parliament.

According to the document, starting from March 1, 2026, cars for passenger transportation are allowed to be purchased only by domestic companies — they must be produced by Russian concerns, the degree of localization of car elements must be high, and a points system is being introduced to evaluate it. Initially, it was assumed that these rules would come into force on October 1, 2025.

By the second reading, the draft law introduced additional requirements related to the possibility of using car models in taxis for the production of which special investment contracts (SPICs) have been concluded. This rule should be in effect until January 1, 2033.

In addition, it is planned to postpone the entry into force of the requirements for the use of localized cars in taxi companies for a number of regions. In particular, they are to enter into force in the Kaliningrad Region on March 1, 2028, and in the regions of the Far Eastern Federal District on March 1, 2030. During the discussion of the bill in the second reading, there was also a postponement for the regions of Siberia — from March 1, 2028.

In January 2024, the draft was adopted in the first reading.

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

The industry is asking for a complete revision of the bill

The day before, the Public Council for Taxi Development called for a review of the draft law on the localization of cars in Russian taxi transportation. Instead of banning the use of foreign cars in taxis, social activists suggested prioritizing the use of cars localized in the Russian Federation.