Platform operators

Today, on July 2, 2025, Berlin is at the center of the national Taxi Action Day: Taxi drivers from the capital gather around the Tiergarten from the morning, with a focus on the Brandenburg Gate. Nationwide, protests have been registered in more than ten cities - in Berlin, about 1,000 vehicles are expected, according to the dpa.

In 13 German cities, the taxi industry is demonstrating almost simultaneously today, on July 2, 2025, and is demanding minimum fares for rental cars. No matter how hot it gets, it has to happen. In Hanover, the protest is also being organized by Hallo Taxi 3911 GmbH. The demand is clear: minimum fares for everyone – now.

Yesterday, on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, hundreds of taxi drivers gathered in Frankfurt to loudly initiate the National Day of Protest. The BVTM even reported over 600 participating vehicles and around 1,200 taxi drivers who took to the streets. A successful start!

The taxi and rental car industry is demanding protection against unfair competition – the federal government refers to ongoing measures. There seems to be consensus on the issue, but there is still significant need for discussion regarding the approach and pace.

On Wednesday, July 2, 2025, it is expected to get noisy in many German cities – but not just because of engines and horns. The taxi industry is calling for nationwide protests. Demonstrations and motorcades are planned in at least 14 cities, including Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart. The goal: to draw attention to an industry that feels increasingly cornered by the competition of large platform providers.

On Friday morning, a loud protest rolled through the city center of Fürstenfeldbruck: about 50 taxis, most of them with Munich license plates, drove in a convoy around the district office. And protests were also forming in Freising. In addition to the loud protests, the taxi drivers also sought a clarifying conversation with the authorities.

On November 15, the Red Town Hall in Berlin is inviting people to the first Hip-Hop Ball – a premiere that aims to promise cultural scene and urban aesthetics. However, the Taxi and Rental Car Association (TMV) is stirring up strong reactions: The association sharply criticizes the current sponsorship of the Governing Mayor and opposes the main sponsor Uber.

On November 15, 2025, the Red Town Hall in Berlin will for the first time become the venue for a hip‑hop‑ball – a cultural bridge between the urban scene and classical elegance. But once again, the American platform operator is a sponsor of a major event in the federal capital, while the LABO fights against Uber & Co.

Los Angeles/San Francisco – Anyone ordering a driverless taxi in California not only pays more but also waits longer. Nevertheless, interest in Waymo's robotaxis is growing. A recent study by the analysis firm Obi shows: The autonomous competition to Uber and Lyft has its price. And yet it still has its customers.

On Tuesday, July 2, 2025, the taxi industry intends to make a clear statement – with nationwide protest actions under the motto "National Taxi Action Day." The Federal Association of Taxi and Rental Cars (BVTM) is now providing a website where materials for the demonstrations can be downloaded.

Anyone traveling to the Amalfi Coast in the summer needs one thing above all: patience. The world-famous coastal road, winding in tight serpentine curves between Positano and Vietri sul Mare, is picturesque – and overloaded. Year after year, rental cars, buses, and scooters create traffic jams there, while the air shimmers and the horn becomes the soundtrack of the vacation.

With the introduction of "Uber Health" in Germany, the US platform company Uber has targeted a new business field – and it is precisely the one that is vital for many taxi companies: medical transportation.

The concern is not new, but it is becoming more urgent: In Brandenburg, the registrations for rental cars are increasing rapidly – and with them the fears of uncontrolled growth in the taxi-like business.

Those who take a taxi in Munich usually know beforehand that it won't be a bargain. However, a study by the travel provider "Fit Reisen" has now backed up the gut feeling of many passengers with figures. According to this, taking a taxi in the Bavarian capital is the most expensive nationwide. A ten-kilometer ride in Munich costs 32.90 euros — that's more than three euros above the national average (29.89 euros) and even more than in Berlin or Frankfurt.

In mid-May, around 900 staff members of the Customs' Financial Control of Illegal Employment department were deployed nationwide to take a closer look at the taxi and rental car industry. Almost 1,600 drivers were interviewed and 260 business documents were examined, with some sobering results.

(dpa) Until now, the US service provider Uber has been arranging rental car rides and food deliveries in Germany. The US company is now expanding its offerings in nine German cities.

The city of Frankfurt intends to take more consistent action against illegal ride service providers starting in June. In the future, only vehicles with a valid concession for passenger transport will be allowed on the road. A corresponding regulation was announced by regulatory office head Holger Habich. The basis for this is a cooperation with the operators of online mediation platforms such as Uber, Bolt, and also Freenow.

Dispute over direction in the Taxi Munich eG: Who is at the wheel of the cooperative? A conflict between the board and the supervisory board is intensifying – at the center are Uber, integrity, and the future of Munich's taxi industry.

In the conference room of the Marriott Hotel in Darmstadt, it is quiet as Herwig Kollar takes the microphone. The president of the Federal Association of Taxi and Rental Cars (BVTM) looks into expectant faces. It is the afternoon of May 6th – the public part of the association meeting has begun. Kollar presents a program that outlines the central challenges facing the industry: federal politics, medical transport, platforms, Europe.

Originally, the Munich city council was supposed to decide on the introduction of minimum transportation fares for rental cars in April. However, the item was removed from the agenda at short notice. There are said to be too many open questions. The decision has now been postponed – to the next meeting in about four weeks.

The car drives up, the door opens – no one is sitting at the wheel. What sounded like science fiction years ago is now rolling onto the asphalt in some US cities. And Volkswagen wants to join in: By the end of this year, the test phase for the ID.Buzz AD, an autonomous version of the well-known electric minibus, is set to begin in Los Angeles. No less a partner on this journey than Uber.

The Labo (State Office for Citizens' and Regulatory Affairs) is checking the taxi fleets on mediation platforms and taking decisive action against the "black sheep." However, Uber & Co. have, of course, already found a loophole.

Around 80 taxis participated in an impressive procession through downtown Mainz yesterday. The aim of the demonstration was to draw attention to the increasingly existentially threatening impacts of unfair business practices by platform providers like Uber – and at the same time to engage in dialogue with representatives from politics, administration, and the public.

An alliance of platform operators, ride service brokers, and lobby groups is currently loudly warning against minimum prices for rental car trips in Munich. Because when - as in the petition of the association wirfahren - there is talk of "price madness", one should take a closer look at who is actually speaking - and in whose interest.

Those who find themselves stranded at the station late at night and rely on the app from Uber or Bolt often encounter disappointment. Supposedly available rides turn out to be a mirage – the algorithm searches in vain for a driver, and the order gets canceled. Such experiences are becoming more frequent, as user reports show.

Uber, the US-based ride-hailing platform, is expanding its service in North Rhine-Westphalia. Recently, rides can also be booked via the Uber app in Bielefeld, Gelsenkirchen, and Moers. With this, the service is now active in 17 cities in the state.

Japan, a country with highly developed public transportation but growing mobility gaps in rural areas, is quietly but fundamentally restructuring its transportation systems. Now ride-hailing is expected to help fill the gaps in the transportation system.

From the outside, one might think it is a classic conflict between economics and ethics. But upon closer inspection, it becomes clear: it is about attitude – and about credibility.

On Monday afternoon, April 7, 2025, around 40 taxis gathered in front of the Mercatorhalle in Duisburg. At the same time, the city council was meeting there – discussions inside, demonstrations outside. The drivers were protesting, as they did on March 28, against the growing competitive pressure from platform providers like Uber and Bolt.

The city of Leipzig is introducing minimum prices for ride services like Uber. The city announced this in its electronic official bulletin (Here is the link to the official bulletin of the city of Leipzig) on April 5, 2025. The German Federal Association of Taxi and Rental Cars (BVTM) expressly welcomes the decision and sees it as a model for other cities in Germany.

The Taxi München eG, Germany's second-largest taxi center, is embroiled in a deep internal crisis. The conflict between the board and the supervisory board is intensifying after publicly disclosed allegations of potential conflicts of interest led to calls for resignations and ultimately the withdrawal of a long-standing supervisory board member.

There have been recurring reports that BMW and Mercedes-Benz want to sell their joint mobility company. In 2020, there were even rumors that Uber might acquire the mobility service provider. Now it seems that a sale of Freenow is nearing completion. According to the "Manager Magazin," Lyft is said to have won the contract.

On the afternoon of Friday, March 28, 2025, the Burgplatz in front of the Duisburg Town Hall transformed into an impressive gathering of around 80 taxis. The drivers had gathered there to protest against the unfair competition from ride-hailing services like Uber and Bolt and to demand the introduction of minimum prices for rental cars.

The great dramas of our time still exist. No Greek tragedy, no Shakespearean play can compare to what is currently unfolding in the Munich Taxi Cooperative. Intrigue, power struggles, betrayal – the entire arsenal of political skill is being employed here while the real problem remains unanswered: Where is the taxi industry headed?

The Taxi Auto Zentrale Stuttgart (TAZ) had only decided in January to collaborate with the mobility service provider Freenow. Freenow CEO Alexander Mönch called it a model for other cities in Germany. Now, TAZ Chairman Iordanis Georgiadis has announced the cooperation with the platform operator Uber.

The Taxi and Rental Car Association (TMV) advocates for the creation of reliable mobility offerings and makes demands to the coalition members of the Union and SPD: For the public transport taxi, more participation, the expansion of local transport, and against Uber & Co.

There is unrest in the Munich taxi cooperative Taxi-München eG. At an emergency meeting of the board and supervisory board on March 20, 2025, serious allegations were made. Several supervisory board members are said to be cooperating with the platforms Uber and Bolt – a process that is causing significant tensions within the cooperative.

The development of autonomous vehicle technologies is gaining increasing importance, especially in the ride-sharing sector. A recent analysis by the investment firm Bernstein highlights that the years 2025 and 2026 will be crucial for the transition of autonomous vehicles (AV) from proof of concept to commercial use. This shift could have a lasting impact on the competitive structure of the industry.