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Expert Kladov: With the Mass Departure of Migrants, Taxi Prices Will Inevitably Rise
Each local government is actively introducing rules for foreigners, prohibiting them from working as taxi or bus drivers, even if they have a patent. Andrey Kladov, an expert on migration issues and personnel selection, director of the Migrant Service platform, told Gazeta.Ru that restrictions related to the ban on hiring migrants as public transport and taxi drivers could lead to an unpredictable increase in prices.
"Today, in some regions, the number of public transport drivers reaches 30%, and in some cities, more than half of the seats remain empty. This problem is especially acute in Moscow, where more than 40% of taxi and bus drivers are immigrants. Similar figures are typical for other regions. "As these workers leave in large numbers, taxi prices will inevitably rise," he explained.
If the ban is fully implemented, there is a risk that a significant portion of the population will not be able to afford taxis. The increase in taxi prices is expected to be caused by the ban on hiring migrant drivers. This could lead to higher prices due to a shortage of supply due to difficulties in recruiting drivers.
"At the same time, the shortage of drivers may lead to an increase in wages. In July 2024, migrant workers earned up to 136 thousand rubles as drivers due to an acute labor shortage. According to analysts from the Migrant Service, the outflow of migrant workers from the taxi industry will lead to an even greater deficit, and wages will have to be raised even higher. "Demand for taxis has grown by 20% since the beginning of 2024," he added.
In the case of buses, the problem of driver shortages will also have an impact.
"This will reduce the number of buses running on the route and increase the waiting time for public transport. Due to the lack of personnel, problems with the timeliness of routes may arise, which can be avoided by providing public transport companies with competitive working conditions," Kladov concluded.
Earlier, the expert selected eight professional areas in which a freelancer should not work.