ArmInfo. In Armenia, the total amount of all payments collected by organizations or individual entrepreneurs providing passenger or freight transportation services through an electronic platform cannot exceed 10% of the total cost of the respective trip. At its April 29 meeting, the RA National Assembly Committee on Economic Affairs approved amendments to the Law "On Road Transport" submitted by MP Hayk Sargsyan.
According to the parliamentarian, the document introduces the concept of an "electronic platform" through which taxi drivers fulfill passenger orders. In recent years, the role of these platforms has significantly increased in the taxi and other irregular transportation market. While previously orders were received and transmitted primarily by telephone, through dispatch services, or local networks, a significant portion of the market now processes transportation orders exclusively or primarily through mobile apps and other digital platforms. In this situation, the electronic platform effectively becomes the primary means of market entry and simultaneously begins to significantly impact driver income.
In practice, electronic platforms charge drivers high commissions, which, according to industry sources and numerous driver statements, often reach 20-30%. This level of commission means that a significant portion of the final transportation cost remains with the platform, acting as a digital intermediary for the order, rather than with the driver directly performing the transportation. As a result, the driver's net income is reduced, the principle of fair compensation in the transport sector is undermined, and an economic imbalance between the platform and the service provider is created.
The proposed project stems from the principle of social justice. The core content and economic value of transportation services are created through the driver's labor, time, vehicle, fuel, wear and tear, maintenance, and road risks. Moreover, the electronic platform primarily performs the function of digitally receiving and transmitting orders. Under these circumstances, it is unjustifiable for the platform to receive a share of each trip comparable to, or in some cases even disproportionately greater than, the profit earned by the driver directly providing the service. The 10% threshold proposed in the project is intended to ensure a reasonable balance, on the one hand, preserving the commercial interests of electronic platforms and their ability to operate continuously, while protecting the economic interests of drivers. Considering that in 2025 alone, over 90,000 drivers worked on electronic platforms, it is clear that this issue concerns the socioeconomic interests of a large number of citizens, not individual entrepreneurs.
