Cab topics (general)

Anyone in the Görlitz district who orders a taxi in the future will have to dig a little deeper into their pockets. The district council has approved an adjustment of the transport charges. This is the first tariff change since 2022, and it takes into account the increased costs of the operators at almost all levels.

Anyone who believed that the dispute over the return obligation had been settled for the time being by the ruling of the Federal Court of Justice might have been mistaken. Not even a month after the Karlsruhe judges confirmed the regulation, there is already discussion about new models that could significantly mitigate its practical consequences.

A letter from a federal ministry can sometimes mean the end of an initiative for associations. For the Mobility Association VSPV, it was the start of a new round of talks, because a provisional “No” simply means that more persuasion work must be done.

After the stop of the 1,000-euro relief premium, the German Taxi and Rental Car Association warns of higher levies for businesses.

Going forward, passengers will be able to agree on a fixed fare in advance. The new regulation is part of a fare adjustment and is intended to provide greater cost certainty for booked rides.

Sometimes a personnel decision tells more about an industry than any market analysis. Thomas Mohnke is such a case: about the Uber-satrap in Germany – and the new owner of the venerable Taxi Frankfurt eG.

The federal association used the industry gathering to present concepts for autonomous driving and the ÖPNV-Taxi as part of future mobility offerings.

The association sees a need for action in the revision of the Passenger Transport Act. The focus is on platform responsibility, digitalization, and the stronger integration of taxis into public transport.

(dpa) With a new price regulation, the state capital aims to create a level playing field. At the same time, it pursues transport and regulatory policy objectives.

By now, in the tranquil district south of the federal capital, there is one rental car for every 111 inhabitants. Such figures, at first glance, seem like a statistical outlier, but they are in fact an alarming signal of bureaucratic inaction and administrative failure.

Two-day workshop for the future of the trades - nearly 100 entrepreneurs, association representatives, lawyers, software developers and service providers gathered for the TMV Think Tank on June 25 and 26 in the Bamberg Aufseesianum. High temperatures and heated discussions included!

The cooperation is intended to enable the affiliated companies to access a digital solution for operational organization, documentation and financial management at reduced costs.

The VSPV continues its political work for the introduction of a statutory entitlement to inclusion taxis. In a meeting with the chair of the Bundestag's Committee on Labour and Social Affairs, Bernd Rützel, the association presented its proposals for codification in the Social Code.

The number of rental cars has risen to 1,357 vehicles over the past two years. According to the district administration, inspections have so far only been carried out to a limited extent. The SPD says there is a substantial need to improve oversight.

The PBefG symposium showed which instruments cities are currently using and what experiences they have gained in regulating rental-car traffic.

While trains were temporarily not running due to a disrupted radio link, taxis took over the onward transport of many passengers. Via TaBeA (Taxi Ordering and Billing System), according to Robert Abel, managing director of fms/Austrosoft, almost €650,000 in taxi revenue was processed.

A new subsidiary, job openings, and indications of test activities raise the question of when autonomous ride-hailing services will first be commercially deployed on German roads.

Even though Elon Musk is now reaching for the stars with SpaceX, he wants to make money with his cars. That is enough reason to put the current Model 3 under the magnifying glass to find out how Tesla is faring in the increasingly tougher competition.

According to the association, the planned end of contribution-free mini-jobs and the mandatory pension insurance for new self-employed could hinder staff recruitment and business startups in the trades.

The discussion about the financing of the statutory health insurance remains tense. At the hearing on the planned Contribution Stabilization Act in the Bundestag, it became clear that many experts acknowledge the need for action, but view the present draft bill critically.

The challenges facing the taxi and rental car industry are not getting any smaller. Platform providers are pushing into the market, the discussion about the return-to-base requirement occupies courts and authorities, in the patient-transport sector payments are increasingly under pressure, and at the same time digitalization is changing the rules of the game for the industry. Those seeking guidance at the moment could find it in Bamberg at the end of June.

The discussion about Uber, Bolt, Lieferando and other platform companies was long dominated by a simple narrative. Here the digital future, there the regulated industries. Here innovation, there bureaucracy. But while politics and the public for years had mainly focused on questions of market access, the return-to-work obligation, or bogus self-employment, a different aspect is now coming into focus: the power of algorithms.

A municipal study is sparking new debates about Uber, rental cars, and competition in passenger transport. On Monday, the taxi industry intends to publicly press its demands.

120 representatives from licensing and traffic authorities discussed in Essen the minimum fare charges, market regulation and enforcement in the rental-car sector.

The fully electric minibus is now available to order in Germany with up to seven seats. New equipment details and additional charging options are expected to further increase everyday practicality.

Experts from opta data informed taxi and rental car companies about common mistakes in ordering, documentation and billing of patient transports. There was strong interest from the industry.

The requirements for taxi and rental-car companies are not getting any lower. Digitization, fiscalization and the increasing networking of vehicle and dispatch system mean that the technical equipment has to do more and more. HALE responds and gives its WSZ-07 odometer a comprehensive update.

It begins with a question that, above all, many older people know: How do I get home after an eye operation? The Eckert Eye Center provides a transport service for such cases – but isn’t this fee-based service actually a taxi matter? Over two years ago we already reported on this case; nothing has been clarified so far.

Five years are a long time in the mobility industry. When the reform of the Passenger Transport Act (PBefG) came into force in August 2021, the political goal was clear: New mobility providers should receive a legal framework without upending the existing taxi and rental-car trade.

When you order a taxi in Germany's major cities, you are increasingly getting into an electric car. In Hamburg, since the beginning of 2025, even only emissions-free taxis may be newly registered. In the countryside, the situation looks different. There, economic realities count more than political directives.

There are telephone numbers that in a city are almost as well known as the area code. In Frankfurt, 23 00 01 belonged to it. Those who used to need a taxi would reach for the phone. Today, ordering a taxi is only a swipe on the smartphone—and the taxi dispatch center is in Uber's hands.

While the public debate about the new GKV contribution-rate stabilization law revolves mainly around hospitals, doctors, and rising health insurance contributions, the taxi and rental-car industry looks to Berlin with growing concern. For there, with the GKV reform, nothing less than the future of many taxi businesses is at stake.

The debate about the return obligation for rental cars is currently on everyone's lips. At the beginning of June, the BGH reinforced the existing distinction between taxi and rental-vehicle traffic. In an ntv interview, car expert Stefan Bratzel from CAM reiterated the platform operators' argument that the return obligation is "old hat".

The discussion about fair competitive conditions between the taxi and rental-car industries in Dortmund moves to the next round. After legal uncertainties had caused delays for months, the city administration is now presenting a revised proposal for higher taxi fares and minimum prices in the rental-car sector.

When you think of Mercedes-Benz, you usually have other images in mind. The E-Class in front of the hotel. The Sprinter as a tradesperson's vehicle. The taxi at the train station. For decades, the brand has stood for mobility in everyday civilian life.

Mercedes-Benz is gradually exiting the taxi business. From the iconic W 123 to moving away from the E-Class as a taxi and discontinuing factory-built taxi models — a structural shift toward a luxury focus is shaping the strategy. The industry is responding with criticism, but also with pragmatic reorientation.

Medical transports have been among the most reliable lines of business for many taxi and hire-car companies for years. While other market segments are changing, trips to doctor's offices, clinics, dialysis centers or rehabilitation facilities provide a steady stream of work. For many businesses, they have now become an important part of revenue.

When the cheapest price becomes a problem - who takes children to school in the morning, drives people with disabilities to facilities, or organizes the transport of kindergarten children, often works far from public attention. But behind these trips lies a market that is under pressure in many places.

In the planned reduction of bureaucracy in traffic law, the industry sees risks to quality and competition. The association is pressing for clear regulations and financial relief.

The Federal Court of Justice reinforces the existing regulation, but points to unresolved questions of European law. In view of the evaluation report in August 2026, a possible amendment to the Passenger Transport Act comes into focus.

(dpa) A driver stopped for twelve minutes after a ride and accepted a test order. The Federal Court of Justice has now ruled that this violates the return-to-base obligation for rental cars.

(dpa) As Cologne introduces new pricing rules, platforms like Bolt warn of higher costs for passengers. The competition in urban passenger transport is heating up.

When it comes to taxis these days, it is often said that it's no longer five minutes to twelve, but already much later. The taxi trade is often up to its neck in water. And on June 1 in Berlin the 'Twelve' were also in the spotlight. However, in a completely different sense. Exactly at twelve o'clock the Twelve Tenors, representing the Berlin cultural landscape, said 'Thank you!' to the taxi trade.

Intax GmbH invited guests to its 30th anniversary celebration on the vast company premises in Oldenburg. Vehicle conversions, electromobility, bespoke solutions and wraps – a great buffet and a Dixie Band awaited the many visitors.

The Association of Private Commercial Road Passenger Transport in North Rhine-Westphalia handed Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder a position paper on the revision of the Passenger Transport Act last week. In it, the association, according to its own statements, outlines a concept for a functionally differentiated, digitally coordinated and EU-law-compliant regulation of on-demand transport. At the same time, it clearly distances itself from the newly founded Federal Association of Passenger Transport.

New association with clear demands

The Federal Association of Passenger Transport, currently being formed, presents itself publicly as the representative of a modern market order. According to the VSPV, however, it is not an established industry association, but the initiative of a single market participant. Its founder reportedly comes from parcel logistics, operates a rental car fleet brokered via the Bolt platform, and, according to his own statements, takes over taxi companies almost daily.

At the Ernst August Brewpub in Hanover, it smelled of currywurst, beer and transport policy. About 300 guests had come to the Parliamentary Currywurst Evening of the General Association of the Transport Industry in Lower Saxony (GVN).

In the Berlin House of Representatives, a motion will be discussed in early June, in which the SPD and CDU press for changes to the Passenger Transport Act. The focus is on digital oversight, greater market transparency, and stricter rules for platform-mediated ride-hailing traffic.

The taxi should be strengthened as part of public service provision, and digital ride-hailing platforms should be clearly brought under regulatory responsibility.

At Mercedes-Benz Deutschland's Entrepreneurs' Day in the Berlin Airport Center, it wasn't just about vehicles and fleet solutions. The focus of many conversations was also the future of the taxi and rental-car trade in the capital region.

A recent TV report by Hessenschau on social fraud in app-mediated ride services once again highlights the substantial extent of abuses in the platform-based car rental sector. The BVTM calls for stricter regulation and minimum fares.

The Karlsruhe City Senior Citizens' Council e.V. honors the company for the period 2026 to 2028. Among other things, it recognizes service quality, barrier-free access, and reliability in transportation for older people.

(dpa) Due to rising fuel prices, Kassel raises the price per kilometer to 2.80 euros. Other cities in Hesse are examining adjustments or sticking to stable tariffs.

Many media outlets do not distinguish clearly enough between taxi and rental car. Thus the "Express" from Cologne reports on inspections of taxis and rental cars, but in the teaser it says, however, that the police had discovered serious deficiencies in taxi inspections.

The fault lines in the German passenger transport market have for years run along clear lines: here the classic taxi trade with fare regulation, an obligation to operate and strict regulation, there the platform economy with algorithmic pricing, flexible business models and aggressive expansion. Now, on the side of platform supporters, for the first time a dedicated association is forming – founded precisely by an entrepreneur who comes from parcel logistics.

The digitization of public transport often begins where everyday life becomes particularly complex: in organizing school transport and special-needs transport. The Dresden-based company Stadt.Land.Netz has specialized precisely in this area—and is now receiving fresh capital for further growth.

The Taxi and Rental Car Association Germany (TMV) has hardly opened its new capital city office, and work there is already being done on one of the industry’s most conflict-prone topics: the handling of platform-mediated rental cars and the growing tensions between taxi and rental-car traffic in the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan region.

In Germany, the discussion about barrier-free mobility is often reduced to elevators, train platforms and low-floor buses – but that is only part of the problem. Taxi and rental-car traffic has so far mostly played only a secondary role in it. The VSPV and the SoVD are pressing to enshrine the Inclusion Taxi in the Social Code as binding.

The taxi trade is confronted with plummeting revenues, disputes over patient transport, rising fuel costs, platform pressure and digitization. The TMV aims to push back against this and therefore invites at the end of June to Bamberg for the "Think Tank 2026." In doing so, the association deliberately focuses on discussion rather than the usual panel routine.

In Frankfurt am Main the protest is now rolling through the city on a weekly basis. With as many as three demonstrations within two weeks, the taxi industry plans to increase the pressure on politicians and public administration. At the center is a demand that the industry has been raising for years: a minimum fare for taxi traffic – abbreviated MBE.

In the Federal Ministry of Transport, the matter bears the sober title "Reducing bureaucracy in the transport sector." For the taxi and rental-car industry, however, the draft to amend the Driver's License Regulation marks the end of a dispute that has occupied the industry for years: The nationwide "Small Qualification" for taxi-, rental-car-, and on-demand transport drivers is to disappear – at least in its current form.