MOSCOW, July 24 (RAPSI) – The Russian Federation of Car Owners (FAR) announced that a complaint had been filed with the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Federal Antimonopoly Service against popular taxi apps Gett, Uber and Yandex.Taxi.

FAR leader Sergei Kanayev told RIA Novosti that they don’t want any company to be shut down, but that all companies must play by the rules.

The FAR statement says that car-sharing service apps Uber, GetTaxi and Yandex.Taxi create illegal competition on the market. They have no cars of their own and don’t hire drivers, but sign partner agreements with companies that provide cars under taxi lease contracts, FAR said.

The federation has written the Prosecutor General after getting hold of documents according to which Uber proposed paying extra to drivers to keep the fee below the official taxi rate. “This information needs to be checked, because this could be evidence of what criminal law describes as corrupt business practices. We have also sent a letter to the Federal Antimonopoly Service, as this could be evidence of market monopolization,” Kanayev said.

He said these practices threaten both the safety of passengers and the national economy as a whole. 

The Federation of Car Owners wants prosecutors to investigate the allegations of market monopolization and corrupt business practices. FAR also believes that the law on taxi services should introduce state regulation for these companies. “Businesses must pay taxes and comply with the national transport operation laws,” Kanayev said.