The expert named the reason for the sharp rise in taxi prices in Moscow

The rise in taxi prices in Moscow is a symptom of a systemic crisis in the industry. This opinion was expressed by Yakov Yakubovich, an expert at the Institute of Fundamental Problems of Socio-Humanitarian Sciences at the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI, on Wednesday, July 16.

"The shortage of drivers associated with low salaries and unbearable working conditions is becoming a serious obstacle to the normal functioning of the market. Taxi drivers are moving into less regulated segments, such as corporate transportation, which only exacerbates the problem," Yakubovich explained in an interview with RuNews24.ru .

The taxi industry has faced many challenges in recent years, especially in terms of employee motivation. On the one hand, low salaries do not attract new staff, and on the other, working conditions remain difficult. Strict insurance requirements, knowledge of the area and the high commission of aggregators — from 20% to 30% of the order — create additional barriers to attracting new drivers.

According to the expert, drivers experience stress when working in conditions of aggressive passengers, frequent accidents and lack of social guarantees. This leads to demotivation and a decrease in the total number of drivers.

The sharp rise in taxi prices is also linked to inflation and rising gasoline prices, higher car maintenance costs, and rising living costs.

"If we want to solve the problem of driver shortages and rising prices, we need to take measures such as reducing the tax burden, subsidizing fuel, and regulating aggregator fees. Without major changes in working conditions and wages, taxi prices can skyrocket, and taxis will turn into a premium service that is inaccessible to most citizens," the expert emphasized.

Yakubovich believes that if legislation allows, automation and robotics will make it possible to launch unmanned taxis in large cities. In addition, the development of micromobility will provide an opportunity to find alternatives to taxis and public transport.

He admitted that business models are also likely to change, for example, the role of aggregators will decrease: the market may switch to local carriers with fixed tariffs.

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On July 11, Maxim Liksutov, Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Transport and Industry, said that 30% of Moscow residents prefer electric scooters for short trips around the city using a personal car, taxi or carsharing. At the same time, he noted that over the past six months, the number of accidents involving electric scooters in the capital has decreased by 60%, to 297 cases, compared to the same period in 2024, RT reports.

Earlier, on July 10, the State Duma adopted in the first reading a bill to reduce fines for taxis operating without a carrier's compulsory civil liability insurance (OSGOP), the Moscow City News Agency reports.

The document proposes to establish the following fines for carriers in passenger taxis: 1-5 thousand rubles for citizens, 20-25 thousand rubles for individual entrepreneurs and 30-40 thousand rubles for legal entities, Moscow 24 clarifies.

In May, Russian taxi aggregators began to abandon the name of the same name, they began to switch to a "car rental service with a driver," reports NSN. Among the advantages is that this model does not involve expensive CTP and carrier insurance, as well as medical and technical examinations.