Great Russian town prohibits migrants from driving cabs

(MENAFN)
St. Petersburg plans to prohibit foreign workers from driving taxis and working as couriers until the end of 2025, according to a proposal published by the city administration on Wednesday.

The ban would target foreign nationals employed under ‘labor patents’—a work permit required for citizens from countries outside the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) such as Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Nationals from EAEU member states like Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan would be exempt.

The restrictions will apply to taxi and rental car drivers, couriers, and food delivery workers. The decree is expected to come into force in July, with businesses given three months to comply.

This move follows recent actions by the Russian Interior Ministry, including raids in April that led to the confiscation of 2,400 electric bikes and the detention of over 1,200 foreigners working illegally.

Additionally, the city’s Labor and Employment Committee is likely to recommend extending these restrictions into 2026.

If implemented, companies will be required to maintain delivery records and equip couriers with GPS devices. Those operating vehicles will face a speed limit of 15 km/h and will be restricted to designated ‘movement zones.’ Couriers and their equipment will also need to carry a single identification number, with appearance guidelines set by the city’s transport committee.

In February, State Duma Deputy Mikhail Romanov expressed concerns about couriers’ frequent traffic violations on narrow sidewalks. However, many lawmakers and industry representatives were surprised by the ban’s announcement. Alexey Tsivilev, a deputy of the Legislative Assembly, said a working group of lawmakers and delivery companies had been discussing regulations for training, uniforms, and traffic conduct, but the ban itself was not on the agenda.

Tsivilev estimates about 25,000 people work in the city’s taxi industry, with nearly 70% being migrants. He also noted that roughly 15,000 couriers are employed in the city, about half of whom are foreign workers.

Similar measures have been introduced in other Russian regions. For example, the Nizhny Novgorod region bars migrants with labor patents from courier, food service, and medical jobs. The Yamal region restricts migrant labor in transportation. Starting September 1, the Krasnoyarsk region will expand its bans to include timber processing, catering, education, and beauty services.

St. Petersburg’s Vice Governor Igor Potapenko revealed in March that registered migrants in the city have dropped by 60% in 2024 to around 210,000, attributing this decline to stricter law enforcement.

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