EXPERTS PREDICT MASS LIQUIDATION OF DRIVING SCHOOLS IN RUSSIA

The increase in the cost of motor transport in Russia that has occurred since March 2022 may lead to the closure of a significant part of schools for novice motorists. This forecast was made by the head of the Board of the Union of Driving Schools Alexander Achkasov. According to the expert, schools will not be able to buy new cars, which means that there will simply be nothing to train students on.

In his interview on the radio station "Moscow Speaks", the head of the Union of Driving Schools said that maintaining the current price level in the automotive market will lead to the mass liquidation of driving schools over the next three years. The car, which previously could be purchased for 600-700 thousand rubles, is now estimated at 2 million rubles.

According to Achkasov, driving schools are already experiencing problems related to maintenance.

Many Western manufacturers have left the domestic market. The cost of energy carriers has increased dramatically, which also negatively affected the rise in the cost of accessories needed to maintain transport in good condition. Prices for batteries, rubber and engine oil have increased.

At the same time, according to experts, sales of new vehicles have collapsed over the past few months. The main reason for this collapse was the shortage of cars at Russian dealers.

According to the AEB (Association of European Businesses), less than 25 thousand passenger cars (including light commercial vehicles) were sold in the territory of the Russian Federation in May. That is, sales decreased by 83.5% compared to the same period in 2021. Considering that last year was far from the most successful due to the pandemic, Russians bought almost 150 thousand new cars.

Photo: Car photo created by aleksandarlittlewolf - ru.freepik.com