Russians are less likely to travel by taxi. They say it has become more expensive. Especially in the last year, travel has become much more expensive. And the quality has decreased. VTsIOM decided to investigate the situation. Sociologists conducted another study and results The results were disappointing. There are many problems in the industry.
Here’s what we learned. 66 percent of Russians surveyed believe that taxi prices have risen unjustifiably in the past year, while 60 percent have switched to other modes of transport due to financial concerns. Perhaps the increase in prices is related to an increase in the quality of travel? But consumers are definitely skeptical.
The survey also showed that 66% of taxi passengers had encountered problems in the past year. 29% of respondents said that the driver did not come to the place where he was called, the same number of taxi drivers canceled the order, 25% complained about reckless driving, and 14% violated the rules. 13% of consumers said that they encountered overly intrusive and talkative drivers, and 7% were too tired, the same number of taxi drivers tried to inflate the agreed price, 11% of Russians said that they received their cars in frankly bad condition, and 10% said that they waited too long for a taxi driver to pick up the car.
I didn’t participate in the survey, but I can add my two cents, of course. I’ve encountered almost all of the above. And my orders were canceled, and I had to wait a long time and look for a car that stopped somewhere, and taxi drivers either tried to cheat on the cost by expecting something that didn’t exist, or by adding random points to the route. And according to my observations, most of the problems are in the regions.
Recently I left Perm, and for 40 minutes they could not find a car for me to get to the station. Moreover, while I was fiddling with the application, writing down all the tariffs at once, “business”, “comfort” and “fastest”, my mother was trying to call a taxi by phone from other services. But in response to all my mother’s requests, standard messages were received: “Unfortunately, no cars were found in your area.” But in the application there were a lot of cars within a ten-minute drive, one couple even managed to move, but after three minutes the order was canceled.
In the Caucasus, I have more often encountered inflated prices through various manipulations. Travelling through the southern republics taught me to always complete the journey on my own at the end of the trip and check if there are any changes to the route as I go. However, to be fair, it should be said that excess damages are always refunded when contacting the support service. But this is of course an additional fuss and the sediment was not canceled as in that joke.
In St. Petersburg, they usually do not cheat on prices when driving, but the cost is always adjusted according to weather conditions: as soon as it starts to rain, the fare doubles. Companies explain this policy by the increase in demand. But excuse me, in bad weather and cafes, the demand for mulled wine and sea buckthorn tea may increase, but the prices on the menu do not change so quickly!
Many analysts attribute the worsening situation in the taxi industry to a variety of factors. Some argue that the new taxi law, which came into effect last year and tightened requirements for taxi drivers and aggregators, regulates not only technical and medical inspections but also, for example, the color of cars.
Others attribute the crisis on the ground to the tightening of immigration policy, resulting in many foreigners leaving the taxi industry and our people not striving for such jobs, allegedly due to low wages and lack of social security.
But with salaries, too, everything is uncertain. According to the hh.ru service, the average salary offered to taxi drivers in Russia by 2023 will increase by almost a quarter and will exceed 107 thousand rubles. In Moscow, drivers of the business class segment can probably earn more than 250 thousand for a job that does not require high qualifications. Especially when compared with the salaries of doctors, engineers, teachers. And IT specialists, who are now at the forefront, do not earn so much at first.
The issue with social guarantees is more complicated. The vast majority of taxi drivers are self-employed. This means that they are not entitled to sick leave or unemployment benefits by default, and no one pays them pension contributions.
Yes, you can “change the settings yourself” – start buying retirement points and voluntarily contribute a certain percentage to the SFR by registering an individual entrepreneur. (Pension and Social Insurance Fund of the Russian Federation. – socialbites.ca)but most likely there is so much fuss and the exhaust is so insignificant that it is easier to buy voluntary health insurance and forget about the pension altogether so as not to be upset again. And the self-employed will not be protected by the labor inspectorate (except in the case of substitution of labor relations) and must ensure the safety of their work themselves. All this is not very healthy, and if the employee is conscientious, he eats up part of the income, if he is not conscientious, the costs are stupidly passed on to the end consumer, which we also often observe.
But it seems that the matter is not only in new laws, “low” wages and the “disenfranchised” situation of self-employed taxi drivers. The main reason for this is the lack of proper competition. And not among drivers, but among aggregators. The market suffers from monopoly. The most famous service occupies more than 60% of the market. The rest is shared by many other large players and very small firms. Sometimes they are so small that they do not go beyond one neighborhood of the city. For example, I use the services of one of these firms in Peterhof. Not everything is good there either, and certainly not cheaper, but at least I do not have to wait long for a car, and the drivers do not ask me which way is best.
Yes, in a monopoly all players work at about the same level, regardless of minor features. One giant sets the rules and standards; the rest either adapt or leave the market. And of course the consumer pays for all the inconveniences. And in principle the system works. It may turn out that we will not go far.
The author expresses his personal opinion, which may not coincide with the editors’ position.