Taxi drivers turned out to be safer than drivers from courier delivery

Most taxi drivers demonstrate a higher level of safe driving than is commonly believed. This was reported to Izvestia on May 22 by Exodrive, whose artificial intelligence embedded in a digital driving monitoring platform analyzed the driving of more than 11,000 taxi drivers in major Russian cities during the year.

The analysis covered almost 8 million kilometers and more than 44 million road events, including acceleration, braking, cornering and minor accidents. According to the results of the study, the median driving quality index (scoring) of taxi drivers was 90.8 out of 100, which indicates stable safe behavior of the majority of drivers, analysts said.

"It is significant that taxi drivers demonstrate a much more accurate driving style compared to drivers from courier delivery. In taxis, the share of low-scoring drivers is about 10%, while among delivery drivers it is 45%. This indicates a systemic difference in discipline and approach. We believe that prevention and driving quality improvement should primarily be directed specifically at the inner—city delivery segment, which is currently growing most dynamically," said Evgeny Chernykh, CEO of Exodrive.

The system also revealed low seasonality (driving style practically does not change depending on the time of year), weak dependence of scoring on the nationality of the driver, as well as better performance among business class drivers, which, according to analysts, is due to internal selection standards.

An additional analysis showed that business class drivers demonstrate the highest safety scores (91-100 points), which are on average higher than those in the Economy and Comfort categories. Higher scores are typical for cars in the mid-range and premium segment, including the Toyota Fortuner, Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Lexus LX570, Kia Optima, and others.

It is separately clarified that the evaluation algorithms do not demonstrate a relationship between the nationality of the driver and driving style: the average scoring of drivers with Russian and foreign surnames is almost the same (88.51 versus 88.62).

"This calls into question the widespread perception that foreign drivers drive less safely. Another possible factor in this outcome is that drivers realize that their driving style is constantly under digital control, which can contribute to more responsible behavior on the road, regardless of nationality," the company explained.

To carry in Russian: The State Duma has relaxed the requirements for taxi cars

How will the new rules affect the cost of transportation

Earlier in the day, it was reported that taxi drivers without insurance OSGOP (Compulsory insurance of civil liability of the carrier) plan to identify using cameras of the "Web" system. This follows from the draft government decree prepared by the Ministry of Transport. Izvestia has reviewed the document. If approved, it should enter into force on September 1, 2025.

The day before, it became known that the Moscow City Duma adopted a law on an administrative fine of 5,000 rubles for the lack of certification for drivers of passenger taxis. Amendments have been made to the Administrative Offences Code of the capital, responsibility is established by Article 10.14 of the Administrative Code.