Attack in the call-a-taxi service: Holl AG files criminal complaint

After a violent attack on a driver during a fare-ticket check in an on-call taxi, Holl AG has filed a criminal complaint. The incident occurred, according to the company, on 29 August 2026 on line 247 between Gernsbach, Scheuren and Lautenbach. The driver sustained pain from the attack.

The employee was, according to the announcement, on behalf of the concessionaire Eberhard Reisen. The on-call taxi replaces a regular bus on the route and is part of the public transport network of the Karlsruhe Verkehrsverbund.

Dispute over missing fare ticket

The trigger for the incident, according to Holl AG, was a fare-ticket check. A female passenger who had boarded could not present a valid fare ticket. The driver therefore asked her to purchase a ticket and offered to sell her a single-ride ticket directly in the vehicle.

According to the company, drivers in the on-call taxi may only sell single tickets. The passenger refused to buy and pay. In response, the driver contacted the dispatch center. It refused to transport further without a valid fare ticket. After the employee had informed the passenger of this, she first became verbally aggressive and then punched him in the face. The driver sustained pain as a result. The journey was not continued. The passenger exited the vehicle and left the scene without paying a fare.

Criminal complaint filed on suspicion of two offenses

The employee reported the incident to management immediately afterwards, according to the company. Holl AG documented the incident and filed a criminal complaint with the Baden-Württemberg police via the online desk over the same weekend. The complaint concerns the suspicion of bodily injury as well as attempted evasion of services.

According to the preliminary legal assessment presented in the company statement, bodily injury under Section 223 of the German Criminal Code and attempted evasion of services under Section 265a of the German Criminal Code are conceivable. A completed further transport service did not take place, as the onward journey was refused.

The further investigations lie with the competent police department in Gernsbach, according to Holl AG. The company will provide authorities with the available information and support the employee in the further proceedings. The accused passenger is presumed innocent.

The Deutschlandticket also applies in the on-call taxi

According to Holl AG, the on-call taxi is part of public local transport. In principle, the regular joint tariff of the Karlsruhe Transport Association applies there. Passengers can therefore use, among other things, single tickets, time passes, and the Deutschlandticket as their travel document. For the use of a Deutschlandticket there would be no additional travel costs arising from the transport with the on-call taxi. Passengers without a valid fare ticket must purchase a ticket. However, directly from the driving staff, only single tickets are available. Other tariff products must be purchased via the other distribution channels of the transport association.

Taxi-Holl serves, according to its own statements, several bus lines in the Murgtal, in the Rastatt district, and in the urban district of Baden-Baden. The vehicles undertake public transport trips there.

Company to pursue charges consistently

Holl AG announced that it would not accept transportation without a valid fare ticket. If passengers refused to pay the fare despite being asked, the transport staff should refuse further transport. In cases where passengers attempted to evade payment, as well as verbal and physical violence against employees, the company intends to file charges.

Holl AG also classifies the incident as part of a nationwide problem of violence against employees in passenger transport. Citing analyses by the German Statutory Accident Insurance, the statement says that every tenth reportable work accident of employees in public local and long-distance transport is due to violence or threats. About half of these cases occur in buses and trains of local transport. A further one-sixth each pertains to the taxi trade and long-distance transport.

The company also refers to a survey by the German Statutory Accident Insurance. According to it, employees in transport companies are particularly frequently subjected to insults, verbal abuse and threats. (Source: Holl AG)