PBefG Symposium 2025 in Munich: 115 Authorities in Dialogue with the Taxi Industry

This year's PBefG Symposium took place on Monday and Tuesday in Munich, in collaboration with the German Association of Cities. Following the successes of the past two years, the demand for the event format for representatives of authorities was again exceptionally high this year: the Federal Association of Taxi and Rental Cars was pleased to welcome a total of 115 participants from all over Germany to Munich. 

New this year was the focus less on theory and more on the practice of implementing the instruments of PBefG adopted in 2021—some cities have already implemented fixed taxi fares, the Leipzig ruling is a precedent for minimum rental car transportation fees, and municipalities like Berlin, Munich, Hanover, and Heidelberg are reviewing or planning regarding the minimum prices.

For two days, representatives from authorities traveled to the state capital of Munich to get up-to-date on the application of PBefG and to exchange and network with one another. It was two intensive days filled with countless conversations both inside and outside the conference hall. 

“We are honored as organizers that the interest in this format is so high and that so many representatives from cities and districts take the time to position themselves optimally in the area of PBefG. For the industry, this platform is incredibly important, because the effectiveness of the law stands or falls with its concrete application by the responsible authorities on site,” 

said Michael Oppermann, Managing Director of the Federal Association of Taxi and Rental Cars, with satisfaction.

High-profile speakers provided insight into their work and were able to point to concrete successes: Josef Hoffmann from the Munich Regional Administration Office presented the Munich fixed price – the first of its kind nationwide and thus a model for implementation in many other cities. Kirsten Dreher, head of the State Office for Citizens' and Regulatory Affairs – in short, LABO Berlin, made two appearances: She informed about her agency's data comparison with platforms such as Uber, Bolt, Bloq, FreeNow, and the taxi center. Furthermore, she offered interesting insights into the approval practice in Berlin, where the number of rental cars has been significantly reduced in recent years. Viktor Schneitler from the city of Düsseldorf also spoke about approval practices, outlining how violations of legal requirements can be identified and utilized.

Herwig Kollar, President of the Federal Association, talked about a pending case in Hamburg, where a rental car permit is not being granted by the authority, among other reasons, by referring to the type constraint of the PBefG and thus for very fundamental reasons.

Finally, the topic of minimum prices and the ruling of the Leipzig Administrative Court was also discussed. Claudia Hille from the city of Leipzig, together with Herwig Kollar, provided insight into the court's verdict and reasoning, which declared minimum prices to be fundamentally permissible but criticized the specific amount in Leipzig. Hille also offered a concrete outlook on the future in Leipzig and encouraged the industry and the officials’ representatives.

In addition to these lectures, there was ample room for discussion and exchange, which was extensively utilized. The two-day symposium concluded with a workshop titled "From Practice to Politics," where counties and cities could gather points from their administrative practices that should be optimized for better applicability of the Passenger Transportation Act (PBefG). The national association aims to bring these points to the capital, possibly together with the Association of German Cities, and convey this feedback to the federal legislator. Oppermann: 

"Politics must always be measured against practice. We as a national association have always brought the practical experiences of entrepreneurs to Berlin, pointed out grievances, and shown solutions. Now we also want to give visibility to the perspective of the approval authorities. With the symposium, we have succeeded in creating a broad platform for cities and counties. This will not be the last event of its kind."