Visitors to Russia are less likely to be ripped off by taxi drivers thanks to a new law that requires drivers to install meters and record journeys.
The streets of Russia are to be cleared of “gypsy cabs” under a new law that came into effect on September 1. It states that drivers must have a permit and at least five years of driving experience to drive a taxi. They must install a meter in their cars, an orange light on the roof, and have checkerboard stripes painted on the side of their cars to identify them as legitimate taxis. Their cars must be inspected every six months and each region has the right to require all taxis to be painted a particular colour. Drivers must also fill out a report form for every journey they are paid for.
While the legal requirements for becoming a taxi driver of a Hackney carriage or other private taxi firm are widely accepted in Britain, in Russia the new law has been the source of frequent heated debate. Taxi drivers have staged protest rallies and petitions have been submitted to the prime minister.
There are currently more than 40,000 unofficial taxi drivers in Moscow alone, according to the Moscow Transport Union, an association of Moscow transport companies. These illegal taxis are estimated to earn more than 1 billion roubles in tax-free income annually. In contrast, there are only around 9,000 official taxis in the capital.
Illegal taxis are often more widely available on the streets and are generally thought to offer cheaper fares than licensed cabs. However, fares paid depend on your ability to bargain. Foreigners can find themselves paying more for a journey in a gypsy cab than they would in an official taxi.
But even local Russian speakers don’t always get a bargain. For a basic three-mile ride into Moscow’s centre, which should take 10 minutes in the evening, illegal cabs now ask for 300 roubles (£6.20) – which is the same amount an official cab charges for the first half-hour of any journey.
For and against the law
Not surprisingly, Moscow’s official taxi companies are strong supporters of the law. “The anarchy caused by private cabs operated by people with no driving experience and no knowledge of the Russian language or the city will come to an end,” said Felix Margarian, general director of the New Transportation Company, which operates taxis under the New Yellow Taxi brand.
“The illegal drivers who occupy the approaches to air terminals, train stations and parking places near retail complexes will either gradually legalise their activities or leave the market.”
But the law’s critics argue that it ignores the interests of individual entrepreneurs. According to Yaroslav Shcherbinin, chairman of the Russian Union of Taxi Drivers, “the list of requirements and documents to be submitted by carriers is still to be approved. Putting checkers on the side of the car and a lamp [on the roof] does not cost much. But a taximeter is a different story. Some say the device can be bought for 1,500 roubles; others say you can just install a program on the navigator. If colour restrictions are introduced, thousands of carriers will have to repaint their cars. That is expensive.”
Private taxi drivers, though supportive of the law, are concerned that licences will be issued only to those who own their own cars. For example, drivers of pool cars would not be able to operate. And it is not clear what the medical check-up for drivers or the vehicle safety inspections will entail, where they will take place and who will administer them.
Enforcement
Under the new law, taxis will be regulated by traffic police inspectors (GIBDD) and Rostransnadzor, Russia’s transport safety regulator. They will attempt to catch unofficial taxis by posing as a passengers and filming the transaction. Fines will not be imposed until January 2012, giving taxi drivers several months to prepare.
Many unofficial taxi drivers think the new law will be ineffective. Alexei Krikunov, who has 20 years’ experience as an unlicensed cab driver – and has no plans to go legal – says: “I often take passengers who are going my way. If a traffic cop stops me, I can always say that I am driving a relative.”
And many passengers are supportive of unlicensed taxis. Darya Boldyreva says: “I use [unlicensed] taxis to get from my home to the office. There are always a couple of cars parked at the same place. I know the drivers well,” she said.
Even taxis that are legal are still likely to carry passengers without documenting them, according to Anton Zaboronov, a frequent traveller in unlicensed cabs. “Half the cars that stop to pick up illegal passengers now are legal cabs,” he said. “The driver is working for a company getting orders from the call centre, but he is still tempted to get 300 roubles more by taking an undocumented passenger. I cannot see how new laws will change that.”
Nevertheless, Stanislav Krivosheyev, the leader of the All-Russia Movement of Taxi Drivers and editor-in-chief of the web portal Taxis News, has decided to go legit. “Getting a licence in Moscow took less than 20 minutes, the car was not inspected, and I simply produced the papers,” he said.
“I chose a taximeter, a certified software utility, and installed it on the navigator. The procedures took a month-and-a-half and cost 10,000 roubles. I went about this business thoroughly. But I think most taxi drivers will find it easier to go on working illegally.”
This is especially likely to be the case for the many cab drivers who are illegal migrants. “Those guys are already illegal – their cars usually have no technical certificate,” said Mr Zaboronov. “Imposing uniform regulations for each player in the market is always good; it makes business more transparent. But it doesn’t change anything in the way illegals do their business.”
Better for foreigners
The law may help to improve Moscow’s image as a business and tourism destination. Foreigners in Russia have found the lack of official taxis in the city to be a problem.
Businessmen used to New York or London expect the centre of Moscow to be full of legal, easily identifiable taxis. Tourists, many of whom do not speak or read Russian and feel intimidated by the Metro, often prefer to sight-see by taxi.
But some of the more adventurous foreigners have enjoyed the experience of taking gypsy cabs. Tamara Smith, an American who has lived in Moscow for seven years, said that she began using illegal taxis out of necessity, despite her initial misgivings. Overall, she has enjoyed the experience.
“We have met many interesting people who pick up passengers to make ends meet, including surgeons and scientists. Riding with them has been a great way to get the inside scoop on how locals feel about current events,” she said.
But she is not opposed to reform: “Knowing Russian is a must if one has to use gypsy cabs, so a system more like those of New York or London would be much more desirable and safer.”
The numbers
40 thousand ‘gypsy cabs’ currently operate in Moscow, while there are only 9,000 legal taxis on the city’s roads.
300 roubles (£6.20) is the average fare for the first half-hour of a ride in an official Moscow taxi. Prices vary from city to city.
10 thousand roubles (£200) will be the fine for drivers of non-licensed taxis carrying passeng in Moscow
PM gets a free ride
Last month, the participants in the first National Congress of Taxi Drivers held in Russia conferred on Prime Minister Vladimir Putin the right to free taxi rides.
Motoring group Svoboda Vybora (Freedom of Choice), the conference organiser, presented Mr Putin with a certificate to this effect.
The prime minister said it would come in handy.
Daria Kostina and Lara McCoy