Taxi drivers in Moscow are now required to pass a certification exam testing their knowledge of the locations of government, transport, social, and other important facilities. Drivers who fail the exam face a fine of 5,000 rubles.
RBC reports that Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin signed the law stipulating that taxi drivers in the Russian capital will be fined for failing the city knowledge certification.
If a driver does not pass the certification, they will be fined 5,000 rubles.
The certification lasts 20 minutes, and to pass successfully, drivers must correctly answer eight out of nine questions.
The exam tests taxi drivers’ knowledge of Moscow’s transport infrastructure, cultural heritage sites, medical institutions, educational and sports facilities, government and municipal buildings, as well as routes to these locations, emergency procedures, and the rules for transporting passengers and luggage in passenger taxis.
The certification is free of charge and valid for two years.
Fergana news agency says many taxi drivers in Moscow come from Central Asian countries.
As it was reported at the 2023 XI International Eurasian Taxi Forum, out of nearly 332,000 drivers in Moscow, about 79,000 were citizens of Kyrgyzstan, 7,000 from Tajikistan, and almost 5,000 from Uzbekistan.
In 2024, Nikolay Kodolov, chairman of Moscow’s taxi drivers’ union “Dobro,” noted that migrants from the Central Asian region make up nearly half of all taxi workers in the capital.
According to him, a reduction in the number of migrant drivers could lead to higher prices, longer waiting times, and a shortage of drivers, which would create problems for taxi fleets.
