A metropolitan blogger named Anton Bazhin shared experiences from a night shift as a car shuttle driver for a company that services the Citydrive and Yandex Drive car-sharing networks. The account, shared on his YouTube channel, suggests that any winnings could be offset by penalties. The claim, while provocative, underscores the tension between service expectations and enforcement rules in the on-demand vehicle ecosystem.
In practice, the responsibilities of a night-shift steamer include a careful visual check of each shared vehicle for mechanical issues and cosmetic damage. Vehicles must be taken to the car wash, cleaned, and parked with care. Pay for these duties ranges roughly from 120 to 190 rubles per shift, depending on the company and location. The process is designed to ensure that cars entering the shared fleet remain presentable and roadworthy for the next user.
Any damage found on a vehicle must be logged in a dedicated application. If damages go unreported, drivers can face fines. Additionally, leaving trash inside a washed vehicle can attract penalties ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 rubles. A practical tip from policy guides suggests that drivers carry cleaning supplies and fresh rags and to wipe down surfaces before and after passenger interactions to minimize fines.
Citydrive has stated to a correspondent that partnerships with third-party companies providing vehicle-sharing support services to parks have been discontinued and that the penalties described are not applicable to Citydrive operations. In a formal clarification, Yulia Varlamova, Citydrive’s public relations manager, explained that all operational processes are now managed in-house and that car carriers work directly with Citydrive as self-employed partners. She noted that the information about working conditions and fines described by various sources does not pertain to Citydrive. According to the spokesperson, most ferry-like services previously involved with those external companies have since shifted to direct collaboration with Citydrive.
The press office for Yandex Drive did not provide a comment on contractor practices or any fines issued to drivers. The dialogue around contractor arrangements remains evolving, with companies in the car-sharing space choosing how to structure partnerships and enforce standards across fleets.
Earlier reports indicate that the Yandex Drive fleet posture included a strategy to refresh a portion of its vehicles and expand the overall fleet. The plan outlined a shift toward new models and increased capacity, reflecting broader industry goals to meet rising demand for convenient, on-demand mobility in urban settings. These developments illustrate how large networks balance fleet quality, regulatory compliance, and driver incentives as they scale in North American markets and beyond. The dynamics faced by drivers and operators alike echo questions about accountability, safety, and cost control in shared-mive mobility—topics that are of growing interest to regulators, researchers, and everyday riders who rely on these services for reliable urban transportation. A careful look at the experiences reported by drivers, alongside official statements from operators, reveals how corporate policy and field practice can diverge or converge as fleets evolve over time. Attribution: Citydrive statements via official communications; Yandex Drive policy updates through press contacts; industry coverage on fleet expansion plans reflects reported plans from regional market reporting.