Platform operators

It is often the unremarkable sentences that shake an industry. "First of all, nothing changes," writes the board of Taxi Frankfurt eG in a circular that has come to our editors. The business operations would continue, contracts would remain in force, and the Frankfurt site would be secured. But it is a dramatic dam break in the taxi industry.

After Essen, policymakers now also want to reorganize competition in Dortmund's ride-hailing market. In the future, there should be no price difference for passengers whether they order a taxi or a car via platforms such as Uber or Bolt — minimum prices should be introduced.

The managing director of the Thuringian state association of the transport industry (LTV), Martin Kammer, has addressed taxi and rental-car operators in an open letter. His message is clear: Cooperation with capital-oriented platforms would jeopardize the economic independence of the businesses in the long term.

The confrontation between platform providers and the licensed trades is growing sharper. After Markus Villig, head of the mobility provider Bolt, had described existing regulations as 'lobbying' and 'bullshit', the Taxi and Rental Car Association Germany e.V. (TMV) has now issued a detailed statement.

The Association of Private Commercial Road Passenger Transport of North Rhine-Westphalia (VSPV) expands its network in the capital. The state association joins the Association for the Promotion of Competitive Economy (VfW) – a federation of economically oriented actors that has been active for six decades with close ties to the Bundestag and the ministries.

Berlin puts the brakes on. Starting today, the Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment no longer awards new taxi concessions. The stop lasts for one year, also covers expansion applications from existing operators, and is based on Section 13(4) of the Passenger Transport Act. Anyone who wants to enter the market will first end up on a waiting list.

In a coastal town like Glückstadt, one quickly thinks of fish sandwiches and harbor air. But at the „Glückstädter Kreis“ for years the issue has been tangible questions: How can the taxi stay economically viable, visible – and, above all, relevant?

(dpa/tk) The ride-hailing platform Bolt is launching a new offering for women in Berlin. Uber has been gaining experience with this for several months now - and is expanding its offering to additional cities.

How taxi dispatch centers can retain customers and drivers is the focus of a free webinar series starting February 2026.

In test rides on the Uber platform, the displayed prices were below the minimum fare in effect in Essen since January. The German Taxi and Hire Car Association supported the local business owners with the documentation.

A control operation in Cologne has once again laid bare a picture that trade associations and authorities have long feared: Uber and comparable platforms are massively circumventing applicable law. In the inspections on January 21 and 22, 2026, according to WDR Lokalzeit, every fourth vehicle was found to be in violation.

In Germany the Federal Police, Customs, the tax investigators and the public prosecutors' offices carried out on January 14 a coordinated large-scale operation against suspected illegal employment in nail studios. The taxi industry is wondering – why isn't the illegal work at Uber & Co. pursued as consistently?

The president of the Taxi- and Rental-Car Association TMV, Thomas Kroker, is increasing the pressure on policymakers. The latest results from several cities would, according to Kroker, have shown once again how far the reality of some platform rental-car firms is from the legal requirements.

The ride logs of the two major app services Uber and Freenow provide a rare glimpse into the capital's mobility patterns. While Uber users tend to be chauffeured to Berlin clubs, taxi customers who book via Freenow head to hotels, transport hubs, and business addresses far more often.

The Federal Association of Taxi and Rental Cars (BVTM) reacts in stark terms to the latest report, according to which, on Uber and other platforms in Frankfurt am Main, every fifth dispatched vehicle is completely illegal to operate.

Solingen catches up with the policy formation on the minimum fare. For the Federal Association of Taxi and Rental Cars (BVTM) Managing Director Michael Oppermann comments on Solingen's decision to reverse the recently introduced regulation on minimum fares for rental-car rides.

The dispute over Uber drivers' pay is intensifying. In the United Kingdom and several European countries, drivers want to sue Uber over unfair, algorithmically determined pay and are seeking compensation for lost earnings and for a breach of data protection.

Even in Lisbon, two systems collide with each other, though they share the same street space and operate under completely different conditions. The traditional taxi industry and platform providers such as Uber, Bolt or FreeNow have been in a strained relationship for years. Competition is fierce, and the market is changing faster than policymakers can respond.

When it comes to dealing with illegitimate rental-car companies, pressure is mounting in Brandenburg. A report by rbb has recently shown how great the uncertainty in Brandenburg has become. In the taxi industry there is a sense that politics and authorities are reacting too slowly – and that, as a result, mistakes that Berlin has already made could be repeated.

With a hastily issued general order, the city of Solingen has set minimum prices for rental cars. From now on, rental car rides that are brokered through platforms such as Uber may no longer be offered at less than 91 percent of the local taxi tariff. The regulation is intended to curb price-dumping in the market – and has drawn clear approval from the Bundesverband Taxi und Mietwagen e.V. (BVTM).

Farewell to paper clutter. The mobility provider Freenow has announced an integration with SAP Concur Expense, a software for travel expense management. Going forward, receipts for taxi rides will be automatically and digitally transmitted to the billing system – completely without paper and post-processing.

The Bavarian State Association of Taxi and Hire Car Companies sees significant uncertainties with the SnappCar platform. Lack of insurance coverage, unclear liability, and limited availability make private car sharing problematic from the association's perspective.

A bombshell for the taxi industry! As Taxi Today has learned from internal circles, rental cars with fixed-price bookings in Darmstadt will in the future generally be exempt from the obligation to have an odometer. Are the Hessians thereby finally opening the doors for Uber & Co.?

More and more ride-hailing platforms are pushing into cities such as Mainz and Trier. The MOLO association thus sees taxi companies, rental-car operators and public transport as being threatened – and calls for minimum prices as well as stricter controls.

In Austria, the system of passenger transport was fundamentally reorganized five years ago. With the introduction of the so-called unitary trade, the legislator ended the long coexistence of taxi and hire-car trades.

In Zurich this morning, hundreds of Uber platform drivers gathered for a protest — they are putting pressure because the conditions, in their view, are no longer bearable. The focus is on falling prices, rising costs, and increasing competitive pressure. Doesn't that sound familiar to taxi drivers?

The FC Barcelona is about to announce a new partnership – and is encountering unexpected resistance. On October 22, the club's collaboration with the US ride-hailing provider Uber is to be officially announced. But already a protest is forming: Barcelona's taxi drivers, led by the Elite Taxi union, are announcing strikes and demonstrations.

“Sobering” – that could describe the evening. Three members of parliament from the CDU, SPD and the Greens posed questions to BVTM Managing Director Michael Oppermann and BVTM President Herwig Kollar at the VW Drive in Berlin. A hopeful outlook for the taxi industry did not materialize.

The test is intended to determine how passengers, taxi drivers and platforms respond to price signals. Since February 1, 2025, pre-booked taxi rides in the Hanseatic City can be offered at a fixed price; the new model is meant to create transparency, but has so far only been adopted hesitantly. Against this backdrop, the city is now launching a pilot with price corridors to bring more flexibility to the market.

If in the future someone in Riyadh steps off the plane and the car—already booked in the same digital account—is waiting at the door, then that is no longer a vision of the future, but part of a strategic plan. The new Saudi airline Riyadh Air and Uber recently announced a long-term partnership that aims to achieve exactly that: a seamless, integrated journey from departure to destination.

Uber and Lyft drivers in California will be allowed to unionize and bargain collectively over their working conditions. This is made possible by a new law signed by Governor Gavin Newsom. A 'deal' with consequences.

Bolt, the platform operator for rental car and ride-hailing services, is renewing the fleet of its car-sharing service Bolt Drive in Germany. By the end of October, 400 vehicles are to be put into service gradually—350 Toyota Yaris and 50 Toyota Yaris Cross. All cars are equipped with hybrid powertrains and will be leased to Bolt for two years through the Toyota mobility provider KINTO.

"Death of the taxi industry because of Uber? Hardly!" — that's how it was titled in the ImPuls column series by journalist Minh Thu Tran. The managing director of the Association of Private Commercial Road Passenger Transport in North Rhine-Westphalia e.V. (VSPV), Sascha Waltemate, could not let that stand and "took to the keyboard." Here is his polished and detailed rebuttal.

Reports have been circulating in Frankfurt’s taxi industry for several weeks, causing unease. It is said that Frankfurt’s long-established taxi dispatch center has been sold or is on the verge of a cooperation with Uber. Now Taxi Frankfurt eG, the cooperative behind the dispatch center, has responded with a correction. “The dispatch center has not been sold,” it says in a statement that went out to drivers and the public. The board likewise firmly rejects the allegation that there are already contracts with Uber or other platforms.

The Federal Association of Taxi and Private Hire Vehicles (BVTM) welcomes the decision of the Essen City Council to introduce binding minimum prices for private hire vehicle journeys from January 1, 2026. This will make Essen the first city with more than 500,000 residents to make use of this new legal option to create fair market conditions in the mobility sector.

Berlin – the city that never sleeps is not only the capital of the republic, but also a hotly contested turf for mobility services. Rental cars, e-scooters, bicycles, car sharing – traffic is a mirror of change. Only the taxi seemed to be left behind until the LABO finally cracked down.

Together with other partner portals, the news platform „Der Westen“ is a subsidiary of the Funke Mediengruppe. According to its own statements, the focus of its reporting is on North Rhine-Westphalia and in particular on the Ruhr region. It is therefore surprising that the editorial team publishes a barely rewritten Uber press release as „news“ -

Munich taxi drivers once again made clear their dissatisfaction with the market conditions in passenger transport on 12 September 2025. Under the motto "fair competitive conditions," drivers gathered for a motorcade which, according to the organizers, kicked off at the Olympic Park.

In Bavaria, thousands of driverless shuttles and buses are expected to be on the road in the coming years. Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder wants to make the greater Munich area the center of autonomous driving. And on board is the platform operator Uber.

A ZDF documentary recently reignited a debate about abuse in the social welfare system. Also in focus: how drivers for Uber & Co. deliberately exploit the social welfare system. 

The collaboration with KTP GmbH ensures faster rides and fair rates. In addition to more convenient booking via app, the project is intended above all to secure the long-term position of Kassel’s taxi industry.

Uber is expanding its offering and entering the pharmacy market. Effective immediately, users can use the Uber Eats app to order not only pizza or sushi, but also over-the-counter health and personal care products.

Leipzig currently offers a glimpse into the political stalemate between regulation and withdrawal. These days, if you get into some taxis in Leipzig, you’ll notice the change: the logo of Uber is prominently displayed in large letters on the driver's door. Some drivers now even offer their services exclusively through the app of the US company.

Leipzig forgoes minimum prices for rental cars – sending a disastrous signal. The decision by the major Saxon city not to set minimum fees for the rental car industry is causing discontent within the sector.

(dpa/sn/tk) - In Leipzig, Uber and other rental car providers had to raise their prices at short notice. But then there was a reversal. What is the current status?

In the debate about fair competition in passenger transport, the university city is drawing a clear line: As the first major city in Germany, Heidelberg is introducing binding minimum tariffs for rental car providers like Uber.

With these striking words, Gregor Beiner, CEO of the Munich Taxi Center, commented on the city's decision not to introduce minimum prices for ride-hailing services like Uber or Bolt for the time being. The taxi entrepreneurs of Munich are raising their voices! Finally, one might almost say, because the noble restraint before the city council's decision had not paid off.

To listen: How did Blacklane succeed in building a global platform for chauffeur services from Germany? What are the success factors? What role do Uber and the German market play?

Munich's decision against minimum prices for rental car providers - from the outside, it seems like a small act. However, the decision by the Munich city council to forego minimum prices for rental cars in app-based transport could have greater consequences than Mayor Dieter Reiter is willing to acknowledge.

After months accompanied by protests, political struggles, and diplomatic interventions, the city of Munich now finally seems ready to introduce a minimum price for rides with platform providers like Uber and Bolt – thereby setting a precedent that is likely to be noticed beyond the city's borders.

The Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts is persistent in research – with a business model that appeals to major clients. An example of how targeted financing and media utilization work is shown in a study on Uber - paid for by the provider itself.

A survey commissioned by Freenow shows: The majority of the urban population desires transparent pricing in ride-hailing apps. However, support for minimum prices still has room for improvement.

Munich is at a turning point. At the end of the month, the city council will vote on whether ride-hailing platforms like Uber should adhere to minimum prices in the future. Michael Oppermann from BVTM speaks of a "pioneering decision."

The debate is by no means limited to taxi and tech platform, but touches on numerous socio-political and economic fundamental issues. It concerns the role of digital business models that resist tariff regulations and socio-political requirements.

Anyone who wants to make a difference in Berlin's transportation policy needs more than arguments. They need contacts. At least, that's how Patrick Meinhardt, CEO of the German Taxi and Rental Car Association (TMV), sees it. From the inclusion taxi to the platform operators and the small specialist knowledge – the topics were diverse.

(dpa/tk) The city of Frankfurt is introducing a digital control system for ride services. In the event of violations of the rules, access will be revoked immediately.

The Games in Los Angeles are relying on the ride-hailing service Uber in 2028. Criticism is not only coming from Germany—and raises questions about the Olympic values.

In over a dozen cities, the taxi industry demonstrated today for minimum prices and against social dumping by Uber & Co. Around 4,000 drivers nationwide participated in the National Day of Action.

Around 60 taxis are participating in the nationwide day of action, sending a clear signal to the administration and politics.

It is hot at the Place of Human Rights as Patrick Meinhardt steps in front of the crowd. His clear message: The taxi industry sees itself in a struggle for survival – and demands political support.