As I wrote yesterday: the problem is not only the extortionate fees, but also the incompetence of Rotenberg and the other state capitalists. A monopoly simply cannot function properly, and we have once again seen proof of that. The owners of the Platon toll system are demanding fines for everyone who has not joined it, but are they themselves prepared to pay fines for this?
As the saying goes, every mistake has a full name and patronymic (a Russian way of saying that every failure has specific people responsible for it).
If a carrier has to pay a fine of up to 1 million rubles for not having Rotenberg’s tracking device installed in the truck, then wouldn’t it be fair to introduce fines for Rotenberg and Rostec as well for flaws in how their system operates?
If 10% of an order fails to reach retail chains because of logistical problems, that is enormous damage — who is going to pay for it? Why are there no criminal cases over this? The Investigative Committee is usually very fond of churning out cases like that.
The name of the system on the official website looks highly symbolic: PLATON fee collection system.
Exactly so: it exists to collect fees, and to do nothing else and bear no responsibility for anything.
Let me repeat once again: the truck drivers’ strike is absolutely justified. It should be supported morally and informationally, and the Anti-Corruption Foundation (ACF) and the Progress Party are ready to provide legal assistance to the strikers.