Diesel prices are rising more strongly than in Europe: TMV calls for government intervention.

"The conflict in the Middle East explains rising crude oil prices — but it does not explain why diesel in Germany is three to four times more expensive than in the rest of Europe," says Thomas Kroker, president of the TMV association.

The development is hitting passenger-transport companies particularly hard. Taxi, rental-car and bus operators rely on diesel and, in the short term, cannot switch to alternative drives nor fully pass on the cost increases to their passengers.

Kroker: Too high a share of taxes

Kroker speaks of a 'combination of geopolitical crisis, lack of political damping and additional national burdens'. A key factor is the high government share of the diesel price: energy tax, CO2 price and value-added tax act as accelerators of price spikes in Germany. By contrast, other EU member states relieved or absorbed price increases.

The TMV therefore calls for a three-stage approach: An immediate review of the diesel price development by the Federal Cartel Office, the temporary suspension of the CO2 levy on diesel for commercial passenger transport, and a political crisis response modeled on the European example to prevent competitive disadvantages for German companies.