They waved a "checkerboard": insurance for taxis may become cheaper
The central Bank intends to reduce tariffs for OSGOP policies for taxis. This is the only mode of transport for which it is advisable to review the existing boundaries of the tariff corridor, according to the regulator's report. Izvestia found out whether the initiative would affect the cost of the trip.
Redundancy identified
An analysis of the application of insurance tariffs in the compulsory insurance of carriers' liability to passengers (OSGOP), conducted by the Central Bank, revealed the redundancy of the current tariffs of this type of insurance for taxis. This follows from the report published on the official website of the regulator.
It is noteworthy that the complaints of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation caused tariffs for this insurance only for taxis. For other types of passenger transportation that will be covered by the OSGOP (railways, aviation, sea and river transport, trolleybuses, trams, and all types of bus transportation), tariffs are considered reasonable.
— We analyzed the data on this type of insurance and came to the conclusion that it is advisable to lower the lower limit of the tariff corridor for passenger taxi transportation. The change will allow insurers to take risk factors into account more fully and offer such drivers individual and the most equitable insurance rates. This, in turn, will enable accident—free carriers to purchase an OSGOP policy on more favorable terms, the Central Bank's press service told Izvestia.
The regulator has not yet disclosed exactly how the corresponding taxi fares may decrease. However, as a representative of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation told Izvestia, "these changes are already being prepared."
A rich harvest
As follows from the report of the Central Bank, last year the total amount of insurance premiums for OSGOP policies for taxis amounted to 913.5 million rubles. At the same time, in 2025, insurance companies paid 62.1 million rubles for this type of insurance. This is one of the lowest ratios: for example, fees from the sale of policies for regular bus transportation amounted to 377.7 million rubles, and payments — 252 million rubles. And for rail transportation (long—distance trains), insurers paid almost everything they received last year - the amount of fees amounted to 53.4 million rubles, and the amount of compensation — 54.1 million rubles.
"These figures clearly show that the sale of OSGOP policies for taxis is not just a profitable, but a super—profitable type of insurance activity," Anton Shaparin, vice president of the National Automobile Union (NAS), told Izvestia.
According to him, such a significant difference between fees and payments under the OSGOP is caused by the low awareness of passengers about the possibility of obtaining insurance for damage caused to health or property when traveling in a taxi. At the same time, these risks are already covered by CTP and compulsory medical insurance policies, Anton Shaparin noted.
He said that WE have already sent an appeal to the Chairman of the government Mikhail Mishustin with a request to review the rules and tariffs for OSGOP for taxis. In particular, it is proposed to provide for the refund of a portion of the amount paid for insurance for an unused period in case of downtime or decommissioning of a taxi car, and to introduce a simpler procedure for reissuing a policy when replacing a vehicle with transferring the remainder of the paid insurance premium to a new car. In addition, WE believe, it is necessary to work out the issue of introducing a single policy for the carrier with regular updating of the composition of cars in the fleet instead of issuing separate insurance for each car.
— It is also important to introduce mandatory informing of the passenger about the right to compensation under the OSGOP — up to 2 million rubles, simplify the procedure for applying and receiving payments, strengthen the supervision of the Bank of Russia for unjustified refusals and understatement of payments, — said the vice President of NAS.
Will the passengers benefit?
The Public Council for Taxi Development supports the conclusion of the Central Bank on the need to lower the lower limit of the tariff corridor for this insurance. According to Irina Zaripova, Chairman of the council, the next step should be a transparent methodology for calculating the OSGOP for taxis, so that the cost of the policy is justified by statistics and the real risk profile of the carrier. If the data shows the possibility of reducing the tariff, these savings should reach the carriers directly, she stressed. However, the expected reduction in insurance rates will not have a noticeable impact on the cost of travel, the expert believes.
— If the cost of the OSGOP policy decreases, it will reduce the pressure on the parks' economy somewhat. But we do not expect a significant impact on the cost of travel: the main burden, if we talk about insurance, is CTP, which can be 10 or more times more expensive than CTP," Irina Zaripova told Izvestia.
The carriers themselves hold a similar point of view. So, the Maxim taxi service informed Izvestia that they also support reducing tariffs for OSGOP. However, a significant part of the passenger car market is made up of private drivers in private cars operating through digital platforms (ridhaling). This segment is not actually covered by the OSGOP, because the existing model of such insurance is not suitable for it, the service notes.
— The reduction of OSGOP tariffs will not have a noticeable impact on the cost of trips. Even with the current average cost of the policy of about 3.4 thousand rubles per year, its share in the cost of one trip is insignificant. It is much more important for the industry to solve a systemic problem: to distinguish between professional taxi and ride—hailing and to provide a platform-based travel insurance system for private drivers corresponding to their work model, Maxim Taxi said.
On a short leg
Taking into account the significant number of self-employed drivers in the taxi industry who do not work all the time, but periodically, the industry will be more influenced not by the reduction of tariffs for OSGOP, but by the registration of such short-term policies, according to Stanislav Shvagerus, an expert at the Research Center for Digital Transport Legislation. The amendments establishing the possibility of one-day insurance policies will come into force on September 1 of this year, he recalled.
— This is a very important change, especially for self-employed taxi drivers: they will not have to buy insurance immediately for a year. They will be able to issue a policy for those days when they plan to work on the line and not overpay for those days when they drive their car on personal business. The whole question is how this new rule will work and whether insurers will be ready to sell such "short" policies, — said Stanislav Schwagerus.
Insurance companies are ready to conclude short-term insurance contracts, the National Union of Liability Insurers (NSSO) told Izvestia
— The automated information system AIS NSSO is fully prepared for downloading short-term CSGOP contracts. The information systems of insurance companies are also configured to issue such policies," the NSSO noted.
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