Running a taxi service under Federal Law 580-FZ

What Federal Law 580-FZ requires

Three regional registers

Each region keeps a register of taxi carriers, a register of taxis (vehicles) and a regional register of taxi ordering services. A dispatch service that takes orders and passes them to carriers must be listed in the register of taxi ordering services. Register data is published in a federal state information system.

Transportation permit

A carrier — a legal entity, an individual entrepreneur, or an individual paying the professional income tax (self-employed) — obtains a permit for taxi transportation and is entered in the carrier register; each vehicle is entered in the taxi register. A self-employed driver without individual entrepreneur status can obtain a permit if they have a contract with a taxi ordering service.

Obligations of a taxi ordering service

• Pass orders only to carriers with a valid permit, and check that they have one.
• Keep a log of accepted and transferred orders and store it for the required period.
• Provide information to the authorities as prescribed by law.
• Inform the passenger about the carrier, the vehicle and the trip price.

Driver requirements

At least three years of driving experience; no outstanding or unexpunged criminal record for certain offenses; no license suspension in the year before starting work; no more than three unpaid traffic fines. The driver must pass a pre-trip (pre-shift) medical check.

Vehicle requirements and trip sheet

The vehicle undergoes a pre-trip technical inspection, and a trip sheet with medical check and inspection marks is issued for each shift. The body must carry the taxi color scheme and a roof light, and the cabin must display information about the carrier and the permit. If the fare is based on time and distance, the vehicle needs a taximeter; with a fixed price announced before the trip, no taximeter is required.

OSGOP

Since September 1, 2024, taxi carriers must have mandatory passenger carrier liability insurance (OSGOP) — in addition to OSAGO (compulsory motor liability insurance). The carrier takes out the policy; working as a taxi without it is a violation.

Self-employed drivers

For the first time, the law allows self-employed drivers to work in taxis without registering as individual entrepreneurs — provided they have a permit and a contract with a taxi ordering service. For the service, this means its relationship with each driver must be documented, and that driver’s orders and payouts must be tracked separately.

Violations — passing an order to a carrier without a permit, or operating a service outside the register — carry administrative liability under the Russian Code of Administrative Offenses (KoAP RF). Check the current edition of the code for fine amounts and how they apply.