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A year of Uber in Ulm and Neu-Ulm: Taxi operators fight for their livelihoods.
Since the launch approval on September 4, 2025, the competition in the twin city is no longer just a theoretical threat. Even before market entry, Uber reportedly registered around 50,000 attempts within twelve months to order a ride in Ulm and Neu-Ulm. That shows there is a market for the app. For local taxi companies, the problem lies less in the app than in the different rules. Taxis must adhere to government-set tariffs. Rental cars that are mediated through platforms like Uber can price their fares more flexibly. Riders typically see the price before booking. In times of low demand, a ride can thus be significantly cheaper than in a taxi. SWR compared at launch a ride from Ulm Main Station to the Donaustadion: 12.70 euros in the taxi, 10.93 euros in the Uber standard fare.
Industry demands equal competitive conditions
Just a few days after the start, the representatives of the taxi industry therefore demanded intervention by the municipalities. Felix Gutsmann, Managing Director of the Ulm taxi dispatch, told SWR:
„We hope that Uber wants to compete fairly.“
The dispatch had already submitted an application to the city to be able to offer taxi rides also with fixed prices. Emre Celik of Donau Taxis in Neu-Ulm also demanded a fare corridor and stricter regulation of the rental car prices. The Bavarian State Association of Taxi and Rental Car Operators also warned early about the consequences. At an information event at the end of September 2025, around 40 taxi operators discussed the development in Ulm and Neu-Ulm. Nürnberg served as a warning example: There the state association reported revenue declines of between 30 and 40 percent among taxi companies after the market entry of platform providers. Such figures cannot easily be transferred to the twin city, but they show why the industry follows the development with concern.
Minimum prices remain a point of contention
One possible lever is minimum fare charges for rental cars. They are intended to prevent app-dispatched rides from permanently being offered below the price level of the regulated taxi traffic. For taxi companies, this is about more than the price of a single ride. They must maintain vehicles and staff and cannot adjust their tariffs at will to match demand. If orders disappear, the already tight margins come under pressure. Business closures would then not only be a financial problem for individual entrepreneurs. They could also alter the offering for passengers who rely on phone-booked rides, non-emergency medical transports, or reliable mobility at off-peak times.
The competition for passengers is not decided solely by good service. As long as taxis and rental cars are subject to different price and operating requirements, the question of fair conditions remains on the table. Municipalities must examine which legally permissible instruments are available to them. And the taxi companies must at the same time decide how they can use digital dispatching and reach new customer segments, without entering into a price war that they cannot economically win under these circumstances.
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