"Will a driver work under such conditions?" What will happen to taxis and passengers after the promise not to raise prices
The taxi driver community is discussing the agreement that the Ministry of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade (MART) concluded with taxi dispatchers. It stipulates the dispatchers' obligation not to raise prices during peak hours, bad weather, and other periods of increased demand. The "Off the Board" channel explained why passengers might be left without much-needed taxi services.
Photo: lookby.media
"I'll start with the main point," writes the author. "A taxi driver doesn't earn more during peak hours or bad weather, and the dispatcher doesn't inflate the price. Here's why. Given: to earn a conditional $800 a month (in equivalent), a driver must, on average, spend 12 hours behind the wheel for at least 15 days a month (180 hours)."
To understand the process, let's take an average hourly wage (net) of 12 rubles, which is approximately $4.2 in equivalent. This means that a taxi driver must earn 3 rubles in 15 minutes. 3*4=12.
These conditional 15 minutes include:
- driving to the client - 5 minutes;
- driving the client - another 5 minutes;
- driving to the next client - 5 minutes.
This is under ideal weather and road conditions. Outside of peak hours. Travel time can vary, but an average order fits into 15 minutes, and in an hour, a taxi driver can complete 4 orders at 3 rubles (1 dollar) under such conditions. Per hour - 4 dollars in equivalent.
Yes, the client pays (also on average per trip) 10 rubles. But the taxi driver gives from this amount:
- a percentage to Yandex (or another dispatcher),
- a percentage to the fleet or a fixed car rental amount,
- money for fuel,
- money for depreciation (if on their own car, plus FSAN, tax, and other expenses).
As a result, that same dollar remains for 15 minutes.
And now let's recall the snowfall this winter, which caused outrage, claiming that taxi drivers were profiteering.
And no one takes into account the travel time, which changes significantly.
To get to you, a taxi driver in a blizzard on roads not yet cleared by utility services needs not 5 minutes, but 10. And if demand is high, and there are few cars on the line (not all taxi drivers want to work in bad weather and even during peak hours), then not 10, but 15 minutes.
And driving a passenger from point "A" to point "B" also takes not 5 minutes (on average), but 10-15. And then driving to a new client.
And so the taxi driver makes not 3-4 trips an hour, but 2. And if the dispatcher, for example, Yandex, does not raise the trip price, the driver will still get that same dollar. Well, okay. With a "slight increase" - 1.2 - 1.3 for two trips an hour. And that's already 2.6 dollars.
But what about the workload in a blizzard, rain, or even just during "traffic jam" peak hours? And the increased risk of accidents? As a result, the driver will earn less and get more exhausted."
The author concludes the post: "And this whole agreement between dispatchers and MART is called 'socially responsible behavior'. But it won't fall on Yandex with its billions in turnover, not even on the fleets. It will fall precisely on the pockets of the drivers. Both employed and individual entrepreneurs (IP)."
"Will a driver work under such conditions? No. Public transport is at your service."
At the same time, any service sector raises prices due to economic expediency. Over the past five years, my haircut has increased by about five rubles. And I don't complain, but I also won't drive a hairdresser at a loss.
Although, in general, I am not against competent social responsibility. During peak hours or bad weather, I am ready to transport beneficiaries at a reduced rate. Pensioners, students, veterans, and all those entitled to benefits. But why should I deliver at a loss, but with comfort, an alcoholic who has drunk half his money in a casino, because he, like Yesenin in a blizzard, "won't make it home from a friendly drinking session" - this I do not understand.
But drivers were not asked about this. Operators agreed, signed the agreement. How it will work - we'll see. But taxi drivers will definitely not drive kilometers at a loss.
It's already a tough living, and the income is so-so. They will simply move to other fields. And for those who remain in the market, dispatchers will be forced to raise tariffs. Because demand will grow. Otherwise, taxi drivers will again go into the shadows. Or they won't exist at all.
And we will again remember public transport. Because "our people don't go to the bakery by taxi."