Almost half of Russian taxi drivers decided not to change cars because of the new law

Despite the entry into force of the law on localization of cars in taxis starting next spring, almost half of drivers (42%) engaged in such transportation are going to continue working in their cars. This is stated in the Romir study, which was received by Izvestia on November 19.

According to experts, many taxi drivers mistakenly believe that their car is on the localized list, or they are sure that the law applies only to taxi companies, and not to the self-employed. However, the primary list of the Ministry of Industry and Trade includes only every fifth car of those currently used in taxis, analysts said.

It turned out that for those respondents who plan to continue working on their cars after the new requirements come into force, only 29% of cars actually have localization in Russia. And only 5% of the survey participants plan to change the car after the new requirements come into force. The survey also showed that more than half of drivers use their own cars to work in taxis, and almost one in four rents cars. 15% of taxi drivers work on cars from the taxi company.

In Russia, 70% of taxi drivers are self-employed, while 14% are sole proprietors. For the majority of drivers (69%), taxi driving is their main employment and source of income. In Russia as a whole, the share of self-employed drivers is 42%, in Moscow their share is almost three times lower (15%). The survey was conducted in October-November of this year in cities of more than 500 thousand people, 1.5 thousand taxi drivers became respondents.

Quota benefits: self-employed taxi drivers may be allowed to import cars

The State Duma is discussing easing the requirements for the localization of the fleet

In May of this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on the localization of taxi cars. The law comes into force on March 1, 2026, but in some regions the new requirements will take effect later. 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.

On October 30, the State Duma proposed providing a quota of 25% of the total number of entries in the regional taxi registry for individuals whose cars do not meet localization requirements. It is assumed that the quota allowing self-employed taxi drivers to work on cars that do not meet localization requirements will be valid until January 1, 2033. Taxi drivers will be required to own the car for at least six months.

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