Tax rides with children in taxis will become cheaper
Russian lawmakers aim to abolish the children's tariff in taxis due to passengers overpaying for their children, according to deputy Tatyana Buцkaya at the "Modern Taxi" conference. Buцkaya reportedly stated, "Sitting in a taxi, you pay a different tariff for children, animals, or large cargo. To transport a child in a taxi without overpaying, we have a mandate from the president. There should be one tariff, but not at the driver's expense. There will be no separate tariff for transporting a family with children. The only remaining option will be a checkbox to indicate a child is aboard, to ensure a child seat."
In addition to scrapping the children's tariff, lawmakers have suggested setting up child seat rental points at airports and train stations.
The "Taxi Law" came into effect on September 1, 2023, mandating taxi drivers to obtain work permits, undergo pre-employment and post-employment medical checks, and conduct daily vehicle inspections. Drivers with convictions or multiple administrative fines are not allowed to work.
From September 1, 2024, drivers have been required to take out additional insurance policies for mandatory civil liability insurance for transportation providers (OSGOP). These additional costs are likely to increase ride fees. To obtain insurance, a work permit for a taxi is necessary.
The Russian parliament passed a law this year obliging taxi drivers to work exclusively with Russian-made vehicles. This law is set to take effect from March 2026. Only vehicles produced domestically, which have been awarded more than 3200 localization points, will be eligible. The models Granta, Vesta, Iskra, Aura, "Moskvich-3" and "Moskvich-6", XCITE X-Cross 7 and X-Cross 8, Evolute i-PRO and i-JOY electric vehicles, and others comply with these requirements.
No recent official updates or announcements regarding unifying the children's tariff in Russian taxis or establishing child seat rental points at major transport hubs have been reported. It appears that, as of May 2025, no substantial progress has been made on these issues, according to current news and official bulletins.
- Despite the announcement to unify the tariff for children in Russian taxis, there has been no reported progress on this issue, as stated in recent news and official bulletins.
- In addition to the changes in the Russian taxi industry, such as the requirement for work permits and insurance policies, lawmakers have also suggested setting up child seat rental points at airports and train stations.
- Beyond the scrapping of the children's tariff, other suggestions for improving family-dynamics in travel include the rental of child seats and the use of domestically-produced vehicles that comply with the localization points requirements.
