Fight for the Minimum Transport Fare – Demonstration Today at Marienplatz in Munich!

For the Munich taxi industry, this is a setback. After all, for them it's not about cosmetic corrections, but about survival. For this reason, the Munich taxi industry has called for today's demonstration at 12 noon at Marienplatz. The demonstration is registered for 350 participants and 5 taxis - at the actually car-free square in front of the town hall. The taxi operators want to emphasize their demands directly in front of the town hall. The introduction of minimum prices not only protects their trade but is also an important step for social order in the city.

In recent weeks, representatives of the Munich Taxi Association (TVM) held intensive talks with the city council factions, even beyond the governing majority. The four city council members of the Die Linke/Die Partei faction could now play a key role. In the discussions it became clear: The sympathies are clearly on the side of the taxi industry. Both pledged their support for minimum prices – a clear signal for a "level playing field" in Munich's passenger transport.

SPD and Greens (actually) for Minimum Transport Charges

According to the Munich SPD, which also clearly advocates for the introduction of minimum transport charges on their website, it is about ensuring standard wages and the functionality of the taxi industry as part of municipal public services. "Taxi companies contribute to ensuring mobility, even for people without an app or credit card," their statement says. Dumping prices, the Social Democrats continue, threaten this reliable structure.

The Munich Greens see it similarly. In their current statement, they demand the introduction of minimum prices to "secure the minimum wage and finally effectively enforce the existing legal regulations on passenger transport against rental car providers." A market without rules is, for them, not a perspective for the future of urban mobility.

Platform operators must also comply with social standards and labor laws!

The arguments have been well-known for a long time. Rental car providers that offer rides far below the taxi rate disrupt fair competitive conditions. This is made possible by financing from venture capital that undermines the market at the expense of social standards. Employment relationships remain precarious, social contributions are often evaded, and labor rights are eroded.

But: Munich's Mayor Reiter on Wrong Path

The fact that Mayor Dieter Reiter recently reduced the discussion to supposedly "cheap prices" in a radio interview has not exactly strengthened the confidence of taxi operators. It was indeed surprising to hear such a statement from a social democratic mayor. Following the argumentation of Mayor Reiter, that otherwise it would be too expensive for customers, one could use the same argument to generally justify illegal work. However, the minimum transport charges for rental cars are not just about cheap rides but about protection against a socio-political cutthroat competition!