Taxi tariffs are likely to shift in Russia after the rollout of mandatory carrier liability insurance for passengers, known as OSGOP. This projection comes from discussions with industry experts cited by Izvestia.
OSGOP requires taxi operators — including taxi companies, individual entrepreneurs, and self-employed drivers who provide passenger transport services — to secure liability insurance themselves. Officials and analysts interviewed by Izvestia note that this obligation will bring additional costs to operators, and those costs could be passed on to riders as higher fares.
Andrei Popkov, deputy chairman of the interregional union of public transport workers, Taxi Driver, explains that the current MTPL policy for a taxi is already expensive, exceeding 100,000 rubles. The new OSGOP policy is expected to be cheaper, but many drivers switch vehicles for various reasons, which could necessitate purchasing new insurance with each change. When these costs accumulate, they are likely to be reflected in taxi prices paid by passengers.
The State Duma approved the bill in June 2023 in its second and final readings. The proposal would introduce compulsory life and health insurance coverage for taxi passengers in Russia, with a stated minimum liability of 2 million rubles for each passenger in the event of harm during taxi transport.
According to the draft law, a legal entity or individual entrepreneur who holds a permit to transport passengers by taxi would not be allowed to operate without securing liability insurance for life and health for every passenger. The adoption of the law would potentially increase the compensation amounts eligible for claims by citizens and their heirs in cases of injury or loss sustained during taxi rides.
If approved by the Federation Council and signed by the President, the new regulations are expected to take effect on September 1, 2024.
Earlier discussions from Yandex indicated that the proposed insurance requirements would contribute to the rise in taxi ride prices.