VSPV continues to expand its Berlin presence – is the TMV bleeding out?

Familiar faces - a new association. Roman Zhdanov takes on the role of office manager in Berlin at the VSPV. He knows political Berlin from his previous work: at the Taxi and Rental Car Association (TMV) he held the same position, and he also worked for the Alliance of Associations. Zhdanov moves confidently in political processes, knows MPs, departments and networks – an advantage for an association that wants to push its concerns more into the legislative process.

Media adviser was once a taxi driver

Also in public relations the VSPV relies on experience. The new media adviser will be Eberhard Vogt. He is a journalist with a long career – including for Welt, Handelsblatt and Focus – and was for two decades the press spokesman for the Federal Association of SMEs. He came to the industry early: During his studies he drove a taxi in Berlin. Later he worked, among other things, as editor-in-chief of BERLINboxx and as a media adviser for the TMV. The topics of the taxi and rental-car industry are familiar to him.

VSPV managing director Sascha Waltemate sees the personnel changes as a strategic step. With Zhdanov and Vogt, two professionals have been won who are known on the Berlin political stage and who can place the trade’s concerns. The association regards the so-called ÖPNV taxi, i.e., the stronger integration of taxis into local public transport, as particularly important. This topic, they want to systematically carry into discussions with the Bundestag and the Federal Government.

“We are very pleased that we have two proven professionals with taxi and rental-car expertise on the Berlin scene at our side—Roman Zhdanov and Eberhard Vogt,” Waltemate explains.

Goal: Coordinated lobbying in Berlin

Patrick Meinhardt is betting on broader, coordinated lobbying. The taxi and rental-car industry needs a common voice, he says. Taxis are still politically understood too little as part of public transport. At the same time, it's about fair competition. Platform models like Uber are sharply criticized by Meinhardt; in his view they undermine social and tariff standards. The aim is to mobilize political majorities for minimum fares and clearer rules.