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A Short Technical Primer - Farewell to a 'permanent construction site'.
The draft from the Federal Ministry of Transport dated May 8, 2026 (which we have) reads technically at first glance. In fact, behind the changes to § 48 FeV lies a political about-face. Up to now it was planned to introduce nationwide uniform professional-knowledge examinations for drivers in taxi, rental-car and bundled on-demand transport. Now the federal government is pulling back. Going forward, the states should be allowed to decide for themselves whether they will require a professional-knowledge certificate at all—and what it looks like.
Thus ends a project that, since the removal of the classic local knowledge examination in 2021, never properly got going. The idea behind the "Little Fachkunde" was initially plausible: If navigation devices make knowledge of every street superfluous, at least basic knowledge on inclusion, safety, dealing with passengers, and legal obligations should be tested. But the plan became a years-long stalemate.
Quote from the draft of the Federal Ministry of Transport: „…Länder, die von der Ermächtigung gemäß Satz 1 Gebrauch machen, können auf ihrem Gebiet einen Nachweis der Fachkunde verlangen, wenn dieser keine Voraussetzung für die Erteilung der Fahrerlaubnis zur Fahrgastbeförderung war, weil Landesregierungen von der Ermächtigung gemäß Satz 1 keinen Gebrauch gemacht haben. Der Nachweis ist bei der Fahrgastbeförderung mitzuführen und zuständigen Personen auf Verlangen auszuhändigen.“
A lot of work, many questions – no decision
Sometimes it was about postponed introduction dates, sometimes about open questions regarding examination organization and responsibilities. In 2023 there was then a catalog of questions with more than 600 examination questions. Topics such as protection against assault, behavior toward passengers with reduced mobility, or conflict management were to become part of the examination.
In practice, however, much remained unresolved. The Conference of Transport Ministers postponed decisions several times. Associations warned of additional bureaucracy in an industry that already suffers from a driver shortage. Particularly smaller companies in rural areas saw the risk that new drivers would fail at additional examinations or would have to wait months for appointments.
Quote from the draft of the Federal Ministry of Transport: „...facts give rise to doubts about the physical and mental fitness of the license holder for passenger transport or about the safeguarding of the special responsibility in transporting passengers by the license holder for passenger transport; §§ 11 to 14 shall apply accordingly.“
BVTM in favor of 'Small Expertise' – TMV against
The Taxi and Rental Car Association Germany (TMV) formulated this especially clearly. In statements the association spoke of a 'bureaucratic phantom' and sharply criticized the stalled implementation. The Federal Association of Taxi and Rental Cars (BVTM), by contrast, clung for a long time to the idea of a nationwide examination and argued with quality standards and fair competitive conditions against platform providers.
The draft now before us attempts a federal compromise. The expertise is not entirely eliminated, but regionalized. The states receive a regulatory authorization. They can henceforth determine themselves whether proof of expertise is necessary, which body conducts the test, which contents are queried, and which transitional rules apply.
Quote from the draft of the Federal Ministry of Transport: “…in accordance with paragraph 4a, proof of expertise is a prerequisite for the issuance of the license to transport passengers; the license holder must, upon request by the driving license authority, demonstrate their expertise again if facts give reason to doubt whether they still possess this knowledge. If there are concerns about the guarantee of the special responsibility in transporting passengers, the driving license authority may order a medical-psychological assessment by an officially recognized assessment center for driving aptitude.”
The states decide
That, however, threatens a patchwork. A driver could in the future work in Lower Saxony without additional testing, while in North Rhine-Westphalia they would need a proof of expertise. The draft even explicitly provides that states may also demand a proof from drivers from other federal states if no expertise is prescribed there.
For entrepreneurs this means new uncertainty. Because while the nationwide examination is now effectively buried, regional special paths may arise. Especially larger businesses with multiple locations are likely to have to adapt to different regulations.
At the same time, the debate reveals a structural problem of the industry. The taxi and rental car trade is in the midst of a transformation: platform providers are growing, medical and inclusive trips are gaining importance, digital mediation is replacing traditional radio dispatch centers. At the same time, qualified personnel are becoming scarcer. In this environment, an additional examination procedure could quickly become a hindrance, warned the opponents of the expertise examination,
Taxi is more than just driving
And yet the original approach was not without substance. Many entrepreneurs point out that the profession already demands more than safe driving. Dealing with elderly people, people with disabilities, or conflict situations has now become part of daily life. Also knowledge about tariff obligations, transportation obligations, or safety issues remain relevant in the industry.
The nationwide 'Small Expertise' ultimately failed less due to its content than due to its political implementation. Five years after the abolition of the local knowledge test, the project ends now where many German transport reforms end: with the states.
Content automatically translated.
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