26.03.2026 / Tourism development: how many tourist coaches and taxis does the country need

The Marketing Agency NAPI and Ilya Zotov, Chairman of the All-Russian Association of Passengers, discussed the development of bus tourism in Russia, paying special attention to the condition of the bus population, modern requirements for tourist coaches, financial difficulties associated with the purchase of vehicles, as well as the development of roadside services. Moreover, the issue of the need for taxi for tourism industry was raised.

— Why is it important to develop bus tourism?

— I stand for the comprehensive development of all transport types for tourism, so that passengers can comfortably move around the country. For example, sometimes it will be more convenient to fly or train. However, it seems to me that the development of bus tourism requires a lot of effort, since there is no one large state-owned transportation company, but there are many commercial organizations offering different quality of services. Our goal is to ensure a uniform standard of bus travel for passengers.

— To what extent do tourist coaches meet the current needs of the tourism market?

—The situation in the country is different: if Moscow and Saint Petersburg manage to keep the bar, then most of the regions talk about the need to launch programs aimed to renew the bus population. Functionally, buses should be equipped with air conditioners, toilets, the ability to recharge mobile devices and more. Moreover, it is necessary to ensure better connectivity of all modes of transport, in particular, to create bus hubs at airports.

— How many tourist coaches does the country need?

— Currently, more than 80% of tourist coaches have been operating for over 10 years. To accelerate the bus population renewal, more than a thousand new tourist coaches should enter the roads every year. At the same time, a similar class of vehicles is required for inter-regional routes, widely used, including for tourist purposes.

In this regard, a long-term leasing program is required that would affect Russian enterprises. There are production facilities in the country, it only remains to form a stable order.

— What are the requirements for tourist coaches (specifications, functionality)?

— A significant part of buses should be accessible to people with disabilities. Air conditioning and heating systems also play an important role, depending on the season. Moreover, the bus should have a sanitary room, the opportunity to use a table and a cooler with hot or cold water, recharge the phone, and connect to the Internet.

— What price would be preferable?

— The vehicle cost affects the cost of a tourist product. For a wider coverage of citizens, including privileged categories, part of the cost of purchasing buses should be compensated from the budget. A tourist coach at the price within 10 million rubles will be optimal (all depends on the vehicle class). However, bus versions currently available on the market are much more expensive, so it would be a good solution if the upper limit up to this amount is funded through government support programs.

— Will the buses be designed for intra-Russian routes or are international routes possible?

— The priority is to get the person to the right destination. I think that for longer trips, the choice is still in favor of an airplane or train, so it's worth focusing on routes within one day.

— How will the buses be distributed across the regions? Where are they in the greatest demand?

— Buses are in demand in all regions of our country, but in some places, it is a large class, and in others medium buses capacity of up to 15-20 passengers are quite enough. Certainly, the demand on the main tourist routes is many times higher, but this does not mean that there are no interesting locations in other regions.

— Will the road infrastructure cope with the increased traffic? Are there enough services, filling stations, and parking lots on tourist routes?

— Roadside service should develop more actively. Facilities for rest and taking food should be created every 2-3 hours of the trip. To do this, it is necessary for regions to launch a program aimed to support roadside services as multifunctional areas with high quality services. At the same time, the emphasis is also made on the fact that the number of personal vehicles in the long term should decrease in favor of public transport.

— Are you considering using electric buses as tourist coaches?

— Electric buses are relevant on short looped routes within the municipality. Appropriate charging infrastructure should be developed for their use.

— A number of market participants believe that travel companies do not have financial capacity to renew their fleets. How is the number of potential customers estimated? Is it assumed that companies will purchase vehicles or will there be an option to lease them or use them on chartering terms?

— It would be right to make the tourist bus market centralized. Many companies do not need vehicles to own; leasing is a more optimal solution for them. However, the process of collecting the real needs of the market is extremely difficult.

At the same time, it is necessary for the state to provide various acquisition tools and compensate for a significant part of the costs. In addition, a structure will have to be established in each region to control vehicles purchased with budgetary funds so that they are not later put up for sale at the market price.

— Is it possible to renew the tourist coach population without state support?

— Ideally, every bus should work on commercial routes. The state is interested in more people to travel around the country. Special emphasis is placed on social categories of citizens, therefore, support from the budget is required to ensure the availability of the product. Otherwise, there is a risk that most residents will not be able to afford even one tourist trip per year.

— In addition to tourist coaches, you talked about the need for taxis in the tourism industry. Why are the current taxi services not enough?

— The taxi companies require constant updating, as vehicles are operated almost around the clock. Moreover, a wide range of vehicles corresponding to different service classes is required. In many regions there are no business class vehicles, no spacious vehicles for large and small tourist groups, for families to travel. They often need to order several vehicles. It is important to resolve this issue to provide tourists with the maximum comfort.

— What is the preferred price for the vehicle used as taxi?

— Now there are requests for prices of 2.5-3 million, but even less is required, and there are few options on the market. It is necessary to introduce support measures from the state and the regions to compensate for part of the costs. However, there are currently no such measures in the country except in Moscow.