The expert explained why taxi services have become more expensive in the regions

35% of Russians have started using taxi services less often due to the increase in prices for services. This is confirmed by the results of the Vyberu.ru survey and the observations of the Association of Self-Employed Workers of Russia.

The head of the association, Igor Zhmakin, explained that the price of travel is determined by the balance between supply and demand, but in the current market conditions this rule does not always work.

Unlike Moscow, where the offer of taxi services is administratively limited by the number of cars in taxi fleets, in the regions up to 100% of transportation is carried out by self-employed workers using personal cars.

“Federal Law No. 580 imposes impossible requirements on these carriers: mandatory daily technical inspections and medical examinations, availability of waybills, insurance against expensive taxi fares, and more,” Zhmakin noted.

The listed requirements lead to an outflow of drivers who cannot work legally and often their activities fall into a grey area, the expert noted.

Zhmakin believes that the situation could be corrected by simplifying the rules for self-employed workers to enter the market and removing existing administrative barriers.