Cab topics (general)

After around 50,000 booking attempts within a year, the platform operator is now offering its ride service in the East Hesse city. Local taxi operators express doubts about the profitability.

The association welcomes the constructive talks with the Lord Mayor, the city administration and the SPD faction, but demands a more consistent application of the PBefG. The focus of the talks were permits, operating bases and the enforcement of the return-to-base obligation.

Since September 2025, Uber has been arranging rides in Ulm and Neu-Ulm. A year later, the question arises as to how much competition the local taxi trade can endure—and whether policymakers and authorities will ensure fair conditions. As passengers benefit from low prices, taxi operators fear for their economic livelihood.

Two electric motors, up to 285 hp and room for large travel groups: With the E-Tourneo Custom AWD, Ford makes its electric large-capacity van fit for snow, inclines and commercial passenger transport. We were on a test drive in the Salzburg region.

(dpa/fk) A designated waiting area in the airport vicinity is meant to improve the digital matching of passengers with available taxis. The guild calls on Berlin, Brandenburg and the airport operator to review the concept together.

From January 2027, Berlin taxis at BER airport will no longer be allowed to wait for walk-up passengers. The Dahme-Spreewald district is terminating the agreement with Berlin – and cites declining demand and long idle times. For Berlin's taxi industry, it will become harder to secure further assignments at the airport.

(dpa/tk) London bans cars, buses and taxis from a section of its most famous shopping street. The city aims to make Oxford Street more attractive and to revitalise the retail sector. For the taxi trade, the new pedestrian zone means longer routes, new stops and the question of how passengers can in the future be brought as close as possible to their destination.

Fog, twilight and wet roads increase the risk of accidents – especially for taxi and rental-car drivers who are often on the road in the early morning hours and late evenings. Why the automatic headlight system can be deceptive and what companies should pay attention to regarding lighting and LED retrofitting, explains Christopher Lang, automotive expert at ATU.

While other manufacturers are phasing out diesel, Mercedes is sticking with the diesel engine. The C 250 d T-Model puts 200 hp on the road, drives more comfortably than before, and remains surprisingly restrained in terms of fuel consumption.

Dumping prices for rental cars, precarious working conditions and the future of autonomous mobility: The Federal Association of Taxi and Rental Cars has spoken with the Green Party politician Tarek Al-Wazir about the challenges of the industry.

Whoever wants to found a taxi or rental car company must pass the professional knowledge examination in German. A learning platform from Cologne therefore conveys the content in six languages in parallel and takes the German technical terms into account.

(dpa/fk) Flexible fixed-price fares instead of rigid taximeter tariffs: A pilot project in Hamburg shows that lower fares can bring more revenue to taxi companies. The results of the study could have a lasting impact on the industry.

Frankfurt, Hanau, Offenbach and Rüsselsheim pool their taxi dispatching into a cooperative. The new entity is expected to bring more orders, better technology, and a stronger regional presence. And yet behind the merger lies a delicate constellation.

While rental car rides sometimes cost less than half of a taxi ride, the city is examining regulatory interventions. A legal opinion is intended to provide clarity. Decisions from Munich, Cologne, Essen and Leipzig illustrate the risks.

Approximately 13,000 London taxi drivers wanted to hold Uber to account over allegedly misleading statements regarding the operating license. But the High Court dismissed the class action on procedural grounds. Whether the allegations are true, the court left the question open — the dispute over the rules of the game in British passenger transport thus moves into a new round.

BMW konzentriert sich beim gründlich überarbeiteten 7er insbesondere auf die Elektroversion des i7. Dabei ist gerade das neue Einstiegsmodell des 740 xDrive eine Variante, die sich gegen Elektroversionen und Achtzylinder bestens behaupten kann.

Rising costs, declining hourly revenues and competition from platform operators are putting the taxi trade under pressure. Even long-established entrepreneurs can hardly find a successor. In some cities, there is an oversupply of vehicles adding to the problem. The reasons for the closure of taxi operations are diverse – and they go far beyond fuel prices.

The statutory health insurance system is to become financially more stable. There is nothing objectionable about that for the time being. But the new reimbursement caps place taxi firms under considerable pressure. The industry warns of a cost–revenue gap – and consequences for patient care.

The City of Munich is taking away more parking spaces from the taxi trade at the main train station. Taxi-München eG accuses the Mobility Department of hindering the provision of passenger services and announces resistance to the decision.

The requirements for documentation and billing in the patient-transport business are increasing. With a new cooperation partner, the Federal Association of Taxi and Rental Cars aims to relieve its members of administrative burdens.

The retrofit specialist Adler adds the seven-seat Xpeng X9 to its program. The first Taxi-X9 makes a stop at the taxi trade fair - and then goes to a customer from Munich.

Following the Munich court ruling, the association calls for the abandonment of additional price floors. Instead, stricter controls, transparent offers and greater tariff flexibility should shape the competition.

The Administrative Court of Munich objects to the geographic scope of the municipal minimum-price regulation for rental cars. The Federal Association of Taxi and Car Rental points to Dortmund as a possible model for an adjustment.

(dpa) Only introduced in July, now struck down in court: The minimum prices for Uber and Bolt in Munich have been overturned. What the ruling means for passengers and the industry.

The vehicle upfitter has brought Tesla back into its lineup. For now, only taxi packages for the current Model Y are available. Other models and equipment for rental cars are not included.

The VSPV has personally handed over its position paper on the reform of the Passenger Transport Act to Federal Minister of Transport Steffen Bilger. The association calls for a reorientation of regulation: away from historical distinctions between taxi and rental cars, toward a digital mobility system with clearly defined tasks.

The quick refueling or charging process is no longer enough for many drivers. Coffee, sandwiches and warm snacks have now become a standard part of stopping at the gas pump for many customers. A recent survey shows what consumers value in this regard — and how much they are willing to spend on it.

The VSPV awarded the Berlin transport policy-maker Tino Schopf a certificate of appreciation. In doing so, the association honors his long-standing commitment to fair competitive conditions, the rule of law, and the interests of taxi and rental-car companies.

More than one in three new cars in Germany is now fully electric. While Tesla and Chinese manufacturers are making strong gains, many established brands are under pressure. The shift to electromobility is changing the automotive market faster than expected.

The new fuel discount should relieve motorists in light of the record prices for petrol and diesel. But just a few days after the launch, prices are rising again. The ADAC says that the relief is melting away even faster than expected.

35 years as a taxi operator, good revenues – and still no successor. A letter to Taxi Today illustrates, by example, how difficult the generational shift in the taxi industry has become. The industry does not lack tasks, but increasingly lacks people who are willing to bear the entrepreneurial risk.

Time and again, cases are reported in Germany in which taxi drivers become victims of threats, fare fraud, or physical assaults. A recent case from Nuremberg again shows the risks drivers on Germany's roads are exposed to – often because of comparatively small sums of money.

Anyone in Heidelberg, Dachau, Erding, Freising or Amberg who orders a taxi via the Freenow app will be able to know the fare in advance of the ride. With the introduction of new fixed-price regulations, the municipalities are counting on greater price transparency—and on stronger competitiveness of the taxi industry.

Anyone who wants to get around in the Bavarian Forest often needs more than just a timetable. Between small villages, long distances, and fluctuating demand, classic line services quickly reach their limits. The Regen district has therefore, since 1 September, been relying on a new concept for demand-responsive transport—and on digital support from Hanover.

The umbrella association of the transport industry in Lower Saxony (GVN) has brought together industry representatives in Bad Nenndorf. The technical program included tax issues, wage structuring, and dealing with work-related pressure.

The electrification of vehicle fleets is seen as the key to the transport transition. At the Urban Charge Conference in Cologne, however, it became clear: For the taxi and rental car industry, not only new technologies determine success, but above all reliable policy framework conditions and a nationwide charging infrastructure.

Bus and rail are regarded as the backbone of public transport. But in many places, traditional scheduled services no longer suffice to meet people's mobility needs. A new summit, organized by BVTM, therefore aims to open up the debate—and to bring taxis, on-demand services, and new mobility forms more into focus.

Following the deadly accident of a ten-year-old boy during a medical transport in Baden-Württemberg, the case is once again before the courts. The legal investigation brings to the fore a question that has always accompanied the taxi trade: What responsibility do drivers bear when they transport people who cannot protect themselves?

Autonomous driving is regarded as one of the major future topics of mobility. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is now linking the technology with another goal: more independence for people who use wheelchairs. At Rehacare 2026 in Düsseldorf, the manufacturer presented a concept that aims to enable access to autonomous shuttles without external help.

Das Taxi fährt vielerorts bereits dort, wo Busse selten unterwegs sind. Der Mobilitätsverband VSPV fordert deshalb, Taxis künftig stärker als Bestandteil des öffentlichen Nahverkehrs zu nutzen. Bei einem Treffen mit dem Bundestagsabgeordneten Henning Rehbaum warb der Verband für das Konzept des ÖPNV-Taxis und einen neuen Blick auf die Mobilität im ländlichen Raum.

In autumn the evaluation of the Passenger Transport Act (PBefG) is on the political agenda. The mobility association VSPV gets involved early in the debate and has handed a position paper to the CDU transport politician Michael Donth. The experiences of the past five years are at the center — and the demand for greater legal certainty for municipalities and the business sector.

After the election to the Berlin House of Representatives, the SPD loses its traffic expert Tino Schopf. The North Rhine-Westphalia mobility association VSPV responds to this with clear criticism and calls on the SPD leadership to continue relying on his expertise in transport and mobility policy.

The introduction of new requirements for taximeters and trip meters is drawing closer. At the Lower Saxony Taxi and Rental Car Day in Bad Nenndorf, the BVTM made clear that it deems amendments necessary in the planned cash-register law. The central question is whether the same rules should apply to all modes of transport.

How can taxi fares be made digitally available and taxi stands be found more easily? During the NRW.MOBIDROM GmbH's open house day, the VSPV discussed with authorities, municipalities and mobility service providers about data provision, digital infrastructure and the future of mobility-related information in NRW..

Rising wages, higher operating costs and a new statutory cap on remuneration are putting patient transport under pressure. At an action day in Ahlen, lawyers and industry representatives discussed the consequences of the GKV Contribution Rate Stabilization Act—and the question of whether patient transports can still be provided economically in the future.

Rising costs for patient transport, the competition with platform-mediated rental cars, and the design of public tenders occupied the annual Taxi and Rental Car Conference in Bad Kreuznach. Associations, entrepreneurs, and licensing authorities discussed, above all, one question: How can fair competition be ensured before problems arise?

Taxi companies can apply for the use of the public taxi stands at the train station until the end of October 2026. If there are more than 15 valid applications, a scoring system will decide.

Together with BYD and Dacia, the upfitter is establishing a consignment stock. As a result, some of the available new vehicles could be delivered within two to four weeks.

The ride-hailing platform is suspending its operations in both countries with immediate effect. Rising costs, inflation and competition are putting the ride-hailing business under pressure.

The cost curve in the taxi and rental-car industry continues to rise. The Rhineland Association of the Transport Industry warns of growing economic risks and calls on both health insurance funds and the licensing authorities to act. At the center are patient transports, taxi fares, and the question of how mobility should be funded in the future.

92 countries, almost 100,000 kilometers and not a single technical defect: With a production-spec VW ID. Buzz, the record-setting driver Rainer Zietlow has circumnavigated the world. The tour provides an unusually pragmatic argument in a debate about electric mobility that is often ideologically driven.

Hardly any state-level politician has in recent years engaged so intensively with the challenges of Berlin's taxi trade as Tino Schopf. The SPD transport-policy politician repeatedly advocated for stricter controls in the rental car market, supported the introduction of a minimum fare, and participated in numerous discussions on the regulation of platform-mediated passenger transport. On Sunday, he is once again running for a seat in the Berlin House of Representatives.

The London black cab is entering the next round. The manufacturer LEVC has announced that in 2027 it will bring a completely new taxi model to market. Geely is therefore continuing to rely on LEVC to deliver accessible, purpose-built vehicles for professional passenger transport.

Shortly before the Berlin state election, the mobility platform Bolt is distributing 1,000 free doner kebabs. While the company is mobilizing against planned minimum prices in the taxi and rental-car sector, the Federal Association of Taxi and Rental Cars speaks of a political advertising campaign with a questionable message.

On September 20, Berliners will elect a new state parliament. For the taxi and rental-car sector, this is about far more than the question of the next governing mayor. Minimum fares, the regulation of Uber and Bolt, and the role of taxis in the mobility transition are among the topics on which the parties place notably different emphases.

(dpa) A four-person group in Oldenburg commits a whole series of offenses. Their nighttime chaos ride begins with a theft - and ends with a total loss.

At the IAA Transportation 2026 in Hanover, not only parcel delivery services and trades businesses are in focus. Many of the new vans could soon also operate as accessible and multi-passenger taxis. Faster charging technology, longer ranges, and flexible interior concepts are changing the outlook for electrically powered passenger transport.

The TMV has placed its demands for a reform of the passenger transport law in the Bundestag. In a conversation with the Green Party MP Victoria Broßart, the focus was mainly on platform ride-hailing cars, the cash-register requirement, and the economic situation of the operators.

Taxi and rental-car companies see themselves not only as mobility service providers but also as part of the local community's social life. In a conversation with CSU Member of the Bundestag Stephan Mayer, the VSPV advocated that the industry's voluntary engagement be given greater consideration in the political debate.

To mark the 140th anniversary of innovation, Mercedes-Benz is on a transcontinental journey worldwide. Currently, the convoy is touring Africa and will traverse Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa. In addition to the Equator, Nairobi National Park and the Kilimanjaro mountain range, the S-Class can expect many more highlights on the African continent.