A conference that brought together almost a thousand representatives of the taxi and transport industries from all over Russia has ended in Yekaterinburg.
The 11th conference «Modern Taxi», which was held on May 30 and 31, 2024, has ended in Yekaterinburg. About 900 people from 54 regions of Russia took part in it: representatives of the taxi business, car manufacturers, politicians, experts, and public figures. Over two days, 12 thematic sessions, a plenary session, a press conference, and an industry exhibition were held.
The most pressing issues in the taxi and related industries were discussed at business platforms. Among the problems raised are car insurance and localization of taxis, renewal of taxi fleets and implementation of the new law, existing obstacles to business development and ways to overcome them.
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4/4 Appeals to the Government of Russia
One of the most discussed topics at the conference was the problem associated with the legislative norm allowing taxi drivers to work only in the region at the place of registration. This requirement greatly limits the activities of carriers. Therefore, the conference participants suggested contacting government agencies with a request to cancel this rule. The Russian Ministry of Transport emphasized that they are ready to discuss industry initiatives.
In addition to the problem of limiting the legalization of self-employed people due to their place of registration, we plan to contact the Cabinet of Ministers with a letter about the problem of compulsory OSGOP insurance. Today, the introduction of OSGOP would be an untimely measure. There are also difficulties that only the passenger is insured under OSGOP, but the driver is not. Irina Zaripova, Chairman of the Public Council for Taxi Development
She also noted that one of the key areas for the taxi community now is cooperation with AvtoVAZ. And within the framework of the conference Dmitry Kostromin, Vice President for Sales and Marketing of AvtoVAZ JSC, confirmed the readiness of company representatives to join the vehicle renewal committee created by the Public Taxi Development Council.
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3/3 Localization and self-employed
The bill on the localization of taxi cars, which is now being prepared for the second reading in the State Duma, has undergone serious discussion. The event participants generally agreed with the position of the Russian Government that the requirements should be simplified by replacing the point system with the country of origin. That is, to allow carriers to purchase cars manufactured in Russia and the EAEU countries. In addition, it was proposed to remove used cars from the scope of the bill and tie subsidies to support taxi fleets to localization. The conference participants also emphasized that it is necessary to exempt the self-employed from localization requirements.
The Taxi Law has severely limited the ability of the self-employed to work as a taxi driver. We analyzed the situation and saw that those who work on rented machines are almost 100% successful in complying with the requirements of the new law. For them the law works fine. But there is another part of carriers. This is approximately 2.5 million people who work part-time as a taxi driver for two to three hours a day. And of these, about 10 thousand people registered in the new system. This means that the law did not work in terms of legalizing the industry. And this is not because people do not want to register as self-employed. But because they cannot comply with the requirements of the new law. Dmitry Gusev First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Control Platform Employment
At the conference, issues of interaction between drivers and couriers with taxi services and online platforms were discussed. Experts noted that there are currently about 7 million self-employed people in Russia, and by 2025 this number could reach 10 million. Due to the lack of appropriate legislation, businesses are faced with the problem of reclassifying work with platforms into labor relations. Particular attention was paid to the fact that self-employed taxi drivers are subject to transport regulations. At the same time, for example, self-employed confectioners and manicurists may not comply with industry requirements.
There must be a strict distinction between labor and platform employment. It is very important that social guarantees are provided for platform workers. But the question is: who will pay for all this and how will it be organized? We are waiting for at least the first reading of this bill by the autumn-winter session of the State Duma. Alexander Mityukov President of the Interregional Association of Courier Services
Experts also noted that the bill needs to include answers to the questions of whether the platform should monitor whether the carrier has all the permits and who should pay taxes: the platform or the self-employed. In addition, it is necessary to determine whether a self-employed person can work with several services at once.
Constructive dialogue with the industry
This year the conference traditionally featured a wide exhibition display. 23 companies took part in it, including IT developers, financial systems, auto parts suppliers, and charging infrastructure manufacturers. The exhibition featured nine cars from the companies Haval, Moskvich, Chery, Changan, MG, Dongfeng. Participants of the event received advantageous offers and were also able to communicate in an informal setting. Russian singer and actress Irina Saltykova performed for them with a bright concert program.
Based on the results of the conference, we plan to send several appeals to the Russian Government. One of the important promises is the postponement of compulsory OSGOP insurance until 2026. It is necessary to review the requirement for the self-employed to obtain permission to operate a taxi at their place of registration. The next important goal is preferential car loans. Today the industry is deprived of the opportunity to purchase domestic cars under any individual conditions. Despite the fact that it is actually the largest commercial customer. We also encourage the installation of driving scoring devices in taxi cars. In practice, a reduction in accident rates and the cost of compulsory motor liability insurance (MTPL) insurance has already been proven when this technology is used. Participation in the conference by taxi companies from 54 regions of the country suggests that the industry is ripe for a constructive dialogue with the authorities and should be heard. Irina Zaripova Chairman of the Public Council for Taxi Development 
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