Minnikhanov to local authorities: ‘We shouldn't wait for transport to wear out — there should be an annual limit on renewal’
“Perhaps the most painful issue is the operation of public transport. Although we have purchased a lot of equipment over the past two years, there are still many complaints from the population,” Rustam Minnikhanov again put a C mark for the organisation of traffic in the cities of the republic. The cost of travel has increased by 55% over five years, the number of passengers has grown to 402.5 million (!), but municipal carriers for some reason are leaving the route, creating a collapse. The governor of the Republic instructed to set a limit on the annual renewal of rolling stock. Toll roads await motorists: this year the authorities are going to submit applications for PPP for the construction of four highways in Kazan. Read more about it in a report of Realnoe Vremya.
80% of buses in cities are running
Public transport, as a rule, does not come first on the agenda of the annual board meetings of the Ministry of Transport and Road, although millions of residents of the republic use the services of urban carriers. It would seem that the topic is urgent, a lot of people move around the city on buses, metro, trolleybuses. Plus, the fare annually grows by a draconian 10% (higher than inflation), but the problems of urban transportation are constantly rolling into the background. Why? It is believed that local authorities responsible for organizing traffic rule in this diocese, which means that the problem does not deserve a substantive discussion at a high level.
A slight exception was the current report of the Minister of Transport and Road Farit Khanifov on the results of 2024. Formally, the topic again turned out to be the last in the prioritization, but this time a detailed report on the state of public transport in the cities was heard. The head of the Ministry of Transport reported that the cities have a sufficient fleet of passenger vehicles, which is in good condition. Almost 80% of the entire rolling stock is in standard condition (i.e., the service life does not exceed 10 years). According to the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Tatarstan, about 1,500 buses operate on municipal routes, which are able to meet passenger demand.
“The Ministry of Transport and Road of Tatarstan conducted an analysis of the standard condition of the rolling stock of transport enterprises carrying out regular passenger transportation in the municipalities of the republic. As of January 1, 79.4% of buses are in standard condition,” he said.
In addition, from 2019 to 2024, 461 buses and 74 trolleybuses were purchased, or an average of 107 vehicles per year. And taking into account electric transport, there are more than two thousand units of transport in the republic, serving 848 regular routes.
By 2023, 800 buses need to be updated
At the same time, the head of the Ministry of Transport admitted that the pace of equipment renewal is lagging behind, and the average age of buses is growing. According to his forecast, by 2023, the republic will have to update over 800 buses. How this will happen has not yet been decided. Most likely, the task will be solved with federal assistance within the of Development of Public Transport project.
According to it, in agglomerations and cities, the share of the public transport fleet with a service life no older than the standard should be at least 85%.
The fare race needs to be stopped
Farit Khanifov reproached carriers for the unjustifiably high cost of travel with a constant increase in passenger traffic. According to him, since 2021 there has been a stable trend, on average, the growth was 22.5%. However, for some reason, high demand did not slow down tariffs. They are growing, outpacing demand. Thus, the cost of travel on urban public transport in Kazan, Chelny, Nizhnekamsk, Almetyevsk for cash from 2019 to 2024 increased by an average of 10% per year. The overall growth was 55%. In 2025, the cost of travel in Kazan was set at 43 rubles, 40 rubles — in Chelny, Nizhnekamsk, Almetyevsk.
According to the minister, tariffs have reached a peak, after which demand will fall. He believes that the tariff race should be stopped.
“The main task is to maintain the tariff at a level that does not reduce passenger traffic, — he said. And he added that billions of rubles are allocated from the budget of the Republic of Tatarstan to subsidize the motor transport industry, including subventions for equal accessibility, financing of rural routes and updating the rolling stock.
Yandex Taxi asked for automation
The Ministry of Transport is also concerned about the monopolization of the taxi market. According to Farit Khanifov, Yandex Taxi currently occupies 95% of the market.
“Currently, there are 19 registered taxi ordering services in the Republic of Tatarstan, 95% of passenger taxi transportation is carried out through Yandex Taxi, 3% by Tatarstan, Maxim and Kazansky Izvozchik taxis, 2% by other ordering services in all 45 municipalities of the republic,” he said.
The top 3 violations, according to passengers: this is delivering a car to the wrong place destination, inflated cost of travel during rush hour, rude drivers. In connection with the adoption of the new federal law on taxi registration, there has been a sharp increase in applications. On average, 150 applications are received per day, and the peak value can reach 500 applications per day. Not everyone can get a permit. The head of the Ministry of Transport proposed to automate the application processing process, tighten penalties for violations.
Rustam Minnikhanov set the task of creating a transport system that will meet the needs of the present and the future, ensuring mobility and safety. At the same time, the Tatarstan governor called for more active use of the public-private partnership mechanism, concluding investment agreements in various areas, both in road construction and in all types of transport.
“It is necessary that for every ruble of invested budget funds there are infusions from extra-budgetary sources,” he said.
He noted that it is necessary to strictly follow the principles of economic efficiency of both budget and extra-budgetary investments.
In his closing remarks, he again criticised the disruptions in public transport.
“Of course, there are a lot of complaints about the work of public transport from the population. People are concerned about the shortage of buses, drivers, long waits for transport, its improper condition,” he said.
Particular complaints are in Naberezhnye Chelny. But here, too, the head of the republic expects that the regions will receive support from the federal centre. “This issue is under the control of the country's leadership. According to the national project, at least 85% of the rolling stock of public transport should be younger than the standard age,” he reminded. But he advised not to wait until wear and tear reaches a critical level.
“There is no need to wait for [wear and tear] of transport — there should be an annual limit on renewal,” Minnikhanov urged the heads of municipalities to think about it.