The average cost of a trip, depending on the region, has increased by 23-29 percent, Izvestia writes. This is due to several factors at once: growing demand, rising prices for the cars themselves and their maintenance, a shortage of economy-segment cars, as well as a shortage of drivers for whom working in a taxi is becoming less and less profitable.
The cost of maintaining a taxi car has increased almost one and a half times since 2021, experts have calculated. Thus, in a couple of years, fuel costs increased by 75 percent, maintenance costs by 58 percent, and compulsory motor insurance costs by a quarter. Other expenses rose by 63 percent.
Another factor forcing companies to raise taxi prices is the rising cost of cars. Economy tariff cars have become more expensive by an average of 28 percent since 2021, while comfort cars have become more expensive by 43 percent. At the same time, there are simply not enough budget cars: there are no longer mass-produced Volkswagen Polo, Hyundai Solaris and Skoda Rapid on the market.
Their place is taken by more expensive “Chinese” and Lada, which have also increased significantly in price over the past two years. Thus, Granta rose in price by 56 percent, Vesta by 82 percent.
Finally, the lack of drivers also creates difficulties. Some of them stop working in taxis because it becomes too expensive to maintain a car. The decline in the number of migrants in the industry also has an impact. According to various estimates, there is currently a shortage of about 72-80 thousand taxi drivers throughout the country.
In some regions, migrants are already prohibited from driving taxis and buses. In October, the LDPR proposed to leave only those who received a license in Russia in taxis. And the Ministry of Internal Affairs believes that it is necessary to introduce a special regime for illegal migrants, which will deprive them of the right to obtain and change a driver’s license, register and drive a car.
Taxi legends
