socialbites.ca has learned that Russian taxi companies have begun to receive modifications to the Lada Granta model, which does not have an anti-lock braking system (ABS) and airbags. The production of such vehicles was initiated by AvtoVAZ in June of this year on the background of stopping the supply of critical electronics from suppliers subject to Western sanctions. Offers for renting such dismantled cars for work in a taxi are posted on classified websites.
In addition, taxi companies began to actively replenish their fleets with such machines. So, at the Eldorado taxi depot in Samara, the correspondent “socialbites.ca” was informed that there are enough Lada Granta in a simplified configuration to work under the car rental contract.
“Come to the office, there will be cars. Payment of 1450 rubles per day. Yandex accepts them, but we do not have other collectors ”
– said in the company.
A resident of Chelyabinsk named Ivan bought a simplified Granta without ABS, airbags and air conditioning, but with gas equipment installed, and now rents it to work in a taxi for 1.3-1.4 thousand rubles a day.
“The machine is fully certified, you can work on it, but only on the territory of the Russian Federation.
I have only one car, I am a special person,” said the host.
Yaarc company from Nizhny Novgorod, which also offers to rent Lada Granta for taxi transport, is still available with complete cars, but they promise to offer simplified cars later.
“Yes, we are planning to buy such machines, but we are waiting for an answer when it is not clear yet. After all, their production has just begun. There will be no problems connecting to the collectors – the power steering and power windows are there, ”said Yaarc.
Car dealers also confirm that the simplified Lada Granta has already hit taxi companies.
“St. It is for use in taxis, where we have already sold 4-5 such cars in St. Petersburg. In addition, such machines are in demand by medical services ”
– Alexander Shaprinsky, director of development of the Pragmatika group of companies, told socialbites.ca.
In general, the Lada Granta with a reduced environmental class and the absence of airbags and ABS is now in demand due to participation in the state soft loan program and is mostly sold under this program. Maybe some will also be used as taxis, he adds.
The press service of the Maxim taxi service (one of the largest market players in the regions) confirmed that such vehicles are allowed to cooperate on the Economy tariff.
“400 2022 Lada Granta vehicles are connected to Maxim service. We do not divide by production months and do not collect information about the configuration of an economy class car”,
– stressed in the press service of “Maxim”.
For the most part, such vehicles will be operated in Central Russia. The representative of the collector added that in the Far East, most likely, they will not be due to the lack of demand for the products of the Russian automobile industry there.
socialbites.ca also appealed to other major taxi aggregators with the problem of allowing the operation of Lada cars and numbers with a “hacked” security system, but at the time of publication no response was received from the editorial office.
Andrey Popkov, head of the coordinating board of the interregional union Taxi Driver, believes that taxi companies in the regions will have to buy such cars due to the lack of alternatives.
“There are no such cars in Moscow yet, but this type of Lada Granta will be driven in the regions. What if there is nothing to last?
Popkov tells socialbites.ca. “And the collectors will tie everything up, just to make money.”
What is the danger of such a taxi?
Union representative Popkov emphasizes that in terms of comfort, such cars are not much different from their predecessors, but their operation requires more professionalism from the driver. Kirill Yankov, head of the Travelers Union, agrees with him,
If a taxi driver changes from a car with ABS to a simplified car, he believes he needs an additional driving test.
Cars in taxi are not used for more than 3-5 years and in recent years they have had all the safety systems and drivers may be unprepared to refuse them, as happens when a driver changes from an auto-equipped car. transferring to a car with “mechanics” adds the specialist.
“Of course, this situation is not heartwarming. It may slightly increase the accident rate on the roads and stop the downward trend in the number of accidents observed in the last 10 years,” added Yankov.
The consequences of an accident in vehicles without airbags are much more severe than the presence of these protective elements in the vehicle,
Yang Haytseer, vice president of the National Automobile Association, previously told socialbites.ca.
“Without airbags, a car’s safety level would be zero. The driver has practically no chance of surviving – he’ll hit the steering wheel and break his head. A modern car doesn’t mean it doesn’t have airbags,” says Heitzeher.
Oleg Shatov, head of the Kazan School of Higher Driving Skills, believes that drivers who are not accustomed to driving without an “electronic assistant” can pose a danger on the roads.
“Even people with a lot of experience can have poor driving skills, as they always rely on electronics. Without it, driving can be dangerous for such people, they enter the risk zone,” he notes.