PBefG-Symposium 2026 reports record participation by authorities.

With 120 participants from permitting and traffic authorities, the PBefG-Symposium 2026 of the Federal Association for Taxi and Rental Cars in Essen has set a new attendance record. The focus of the event was the question of how municipalities and permitting authorities can effectively use the instruments of the Passenger Transport Act to ensure fair competition in on-demand transport.

Five years after the amendment of the Passenger Transport Act, municipalities would increasingly use the instruments created, the association said. At the same time, the need for exchange of experience as well as for a legally sound enforcement of existing regulations is growing.

Minimum Transport Charges in Focus

A key focus of the symposium was the introduction of minimum transport charges for rental cars. Representatives from the City of Essen and experts from iGES Mobility presented current experiences and impact analyses. The City of Essen had introduced minimum prices for rental cars at the beginning of the year.

According to the participants, the instrument plays an important role for numerous municipalities in limiting price competition and in ensuring fair competitive conditions between taxi and rental-car traffic.

Enforcement and Market Monitoring Discussed

In addition, the participants dealt with the possibilities for licensing authorities to effectively regulate on-demand traffic and to consistently enforce existing regulations. Topics included enforcement, market monitoring, and control of platform traffic.

The association explained that more and more cities were examining concrete measures that the legislature has created to prevent distortions of competition and to enforce equal rules for all market participants.