European Taxi Trade Show 2026 in Cologne: 11,500 visitors, 92 exhibitors, and a BYD as the grand prize

For two days, Hall 1 at Koelnmesse belonged to the taxi and rental-car industry. Between vehicles, software solutions, insurance offers and industry services, entrepreneurs, drivers and representatives from business and administration gathered. 92 exhibitors presented their products and services, more than a quarter of them came from abroad. The organizers counted around 11,500 visitors – as many as at the 2024 fair. That the European Taxi Trade Fair has long been of significance beyond Germany was also evident from the origin of the guests. In addition to visitors from across Germany, professionals from Norway, Finland, Sweden, Austria, Switzerland, the Benelux states, the United Kingdom and France had traveled to Cologne.

Markus Gossmann, chairman of the Professional Association for Passenger Transport North Rhine Taxi and Rental Cars and organizer of the fair, drew a positive assessment:

“The fair has surpassed the successful result of 2024. At all stands and on both trade-show days, visitors crowded around for many hours. The exhibitors were very satisfied with the multitude of contacts and the results achieved. And the industry could discuss important topics both now and in the future.”

Also Ralf Nüsser, managing director of Koelncongress GmbH, was pleased with the development. He has been accompanying the event since 1990 and could thus look back on a long history of the trade fair.

Law, Taxes and Competition in Focus

In addition to the exchanges at the exhibition booths, the lecture program offered the opportunity to engage with the pressing questions facing the industry. Thomas Grätz informed about current developments in the Passenger Transport Act. Edo Dieckmann, formerly responsible for tax law in the passenger transport sector in the Lower Saxony finance administration, explained the tax consequences of current regulations, particularly of the revised Cash Register Security Regulation. The digitalization of administrative processes also played a role. A software from TeamGetCloser was presented that is intended to support taxi and rental-car companies in concession applications and hearing procedures. Another application from the law firm Schalast Tax & Law enables the documentation of suspected infringements of competition law. The firm then checks whether the reported facts are suitable for a cease-and-desist letter.

The question of how local taxi and rental-car companies can compete with platform providers such as Uber and Bolt received particular emphasis. Bernhard Linz of Linz Communication addressed this topic in two presentations. These covered both concrete competitive strategies and new approaches to local marketing. A question that concerns many companies, regardless of their size.

W123, taxi rapper and a book about death in the taxi

That an industry trade fair does not have to consist solely of regulations, calculations, and software was demonstrated by the accompanying program. For a look back, three Mercedes-Benz W123s, which André Kuhlo had brought from the Oldtimer-Taxi-Treffen Osterode to Cologne, drew attention. The once widely used taxi classic drew as many looks as an Austin from 1957 and a Citroën 2CV from the 1970s that exhibitors had brought. For industry-relevant entertainment, the taxi rappers Beggo & Blazup, alias Taxi Stories Aichach, provided. The two themselves regularly get behind the wheel and translate their everyday professional experiences into their songs. Lars A. Cramer, in turn, read from his book „Death Drives a Taxi“.