One-Sided Voices, Complex Reality: Why Personal Examples Distort the Minimum-Price Debate.

But they only depict a fragment of reality. And precisely therein lies the problem. The argument follows a clear pattern: if prices for rental cars rise, mobility becomes unaffordable. In doing so, it is tacitly assumed that cheap platform rides are the only viable option.

Taxi as part of the solution – not the problem

That is too narrow. The taxi trade has for decades fulfilled precisely those functions described in the letters: safe rides home at night, reliable transportation for those with limited mobility, availability even where public transport has gaps. Unlike platform providers, taxis are subject to fixed rules – fare obligations, obligation to transport, operating obligation.

This structure ensures that a taxi will operate even when it is hardly economically viable. Whoever argues that minimum prices would restrict mobility ignores the fact that these very rules are the foundation for comprehensive coverage.

The price in the app isn't the whole truth

• From the Uber website: Sandra H., a nurse on call, writes: “I can't pay 25–30 euros for every ride, because it's simply too expensive and my employer doesn't pay for it." 

The nurse's letter refers to rising costs. That is understandable. But it also raises a fundamental question: Who bears the real costs of mobility?

When rides are offered today at prices below the real costs, there is no social equalization — but a shift. Low prices are made possible by precarious working conditions, tax avoidance or inadequate controls. A minimum price would not eliminate this imbalance, but at least make it visible.

Safety is not a platform feature

The safety argument also deserves closer consideration. The user who feels safer in Uber than on buses and trains describes a subjective perception. Objectively, however, the taxi sector imposes stricter requirements: screened drivers, vehicles officially regulated by authorities, clear responsibilities.

• From the Uber website: Andrea V. puts the sense of safety into words: “Especially as a woman, I feel much safer on the late-night journey home in Uber than on the bus and train.”
• From the Uber website: Ben S. from Cologne’s north highlights the lack of bus and rail options and adds: “Don’t let the North fall further behind by making ride services like Uber unattractive as well—especially in the evening hours, people rely on such services.”

Safety is not an option in the taxi trade, but part of regulation. If platform providers address this need without meeting the same regulatory framework, an imbalance arises—not in favor of passengers, but to the detriment of those who strictly comply with these standards.