Carriers asked to postpone the law on taxi localization in the DPR

The Public Council for Taxi Development (OCRT), on behalf of carriers, proposed postponing the entry into force in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) of the requirements for the use of localized cars in taxis until March 1, 2030. A corresponding appeal (Izvestia has) was sent to the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin and Chairman of the People's Council of the DPR Konstantin Kuzmin.

According to the law, starting from March 1, 2026, only cars that meet localization parameters will be included in regional taxi registries. At the same time, preferential terms are provided for some regions: the Kaliningrad Region and the subjects of the Siberian Federal District will receive a postponement until March 1, 2028, and the subjects of the Far Eastern Federal District — until March 1, 2030.

The letter of appeal was signed by 322 carriers operating in the republic. They offered to give the DPR the same postponement as for the Far Eastern regions. Industry participants stressed that the industry is in the recovery stage, and the abrupt introduction of new requirements without a transition period can significantly complicate the operation of a legal taxi in the region, while there are no resources for accelerated fleet renewal. The letter notes that the introduction of new restrictions in 2026 without compensatory measures may lead to the fact that a significant part of market participants will lose the opportunity to maintain legal status.

"We fully support the position of taxi carriers from the Donetsk People's Republic. The Luhansk People's Republic, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions are experiencing the same problems today — regions where the restoration of the economy and transport infrastructure is a higher priority than the requirement for cars," said Irina Zaripova, Chairman of the OCRT, and pointed out that Kursk and Belgorod regions also require special attention in this matter.

Steering wheel rule: almost 100 thousand taxi cars will not be able to be replaced due to the localization law

The lack of relaxation may lead to the departure of passenger traffic to the gray zone, experts say.

Earlier, on October 10, it was reported that the Public Council for Taxi Development (OCRT) appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin with a proposal to postpone the entry into force of the requirements for the localization of taxi cars for the self-employed until March 1, 2031.

Prior to that, on October 1, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation published a primary list of cars that meet the requirements of the law on taxi localization, which will be operational from March 2026. It includes models of Lada, UAZ, Sollers, Moskvich, Evolute and Voyah brands. Later, the ministry clarified that the list is planned to be expanded, including models under the Haval and Tenet brands, as well as cars manufactured at Kaliningrad Avtotor.

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