The Ministry of Transport has decided to prohibit drivers from working in taxis without an employment contract with a taxi company. The department is preparing appropriate amendments to the Administrative Code, writes Izvestia citing a ministry source.
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According to the initiative, taxi companies and car rental services will have to conclude employment contracts with drivers, which should strengthen control over their activities and offer more social guarantees.
According to the publication’s source, most drivers are now self-employed, allowing taxi companies to avoid formal employment relationships. This deprives drivers of a number of legal rights and social guarantees, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Control Committee Dmitry Gusev told Izvestia. The committee considers that the amendments to the law are aimed at optimizing the work of taxi companies and restoring drivers’ rights to paid sick leave, pension contributions and other benefits.
The innovation will also make it possible to reduce the number of illegal immigrants working in the taxi industry, which is now “up to 40%,” said Andrei Popkov, president of the interregional union Taxi Driver. According to current legislation, citizens of countries where Russian is the state language, that is, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Belarus, can work legally. However, there are not enough such drivers, so taxi companies accept foreign citizens even with construction licenses, he added.
According to the aggregator Maxim, to operate profitably, classic taxi companies with hired drivers need a tariff of at least 70 rubles per kilometer, while the average cost of trips, according to Rosstat, is about 40 rubles. To meet the requirements of the Ministry of Transport and the State Duma, fares must be at least double. This could lead to a significant increase in prices or the disappearance of the traditional taxi fleet model, noted company representative Pavel Stennikov.
According to Yandex Go, there will be a shortage of about 130,000 taxi drivers in Russia by the end of the year. The deficit is growing, among other things, due to the tightening of immigration policy and taxi regulation: drivers are moving to other areas where they have comparable incomes, but fewer requirements and expenses, said Anton Petrakov, director of government relations. of the company.
Author:
Karina Pardaeva
Source: RB
I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.
