Public transport taxi

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.

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.

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.

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?

Platform economy, competition distortions and the question of how mobility in rural areas can be secured: The VSPV is seeking to join forces with an influential partner of the German economy, the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (DIHK).

The debate about the future of public transport has been caught in a contradiction for years. On the one hand, the expansion of buses and trains is being invoked as the key to the mobility transition. On the other hand, crowded trains, reduced schedules, and poorly served regions show that conventional line services alone cannot solve many mobility problems.

(dpa) The new taxi offering for rides between suburban areas and train stations has started. Demand has so far lagged behind expectations, but could soon rise significantly.

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.

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.

While public debates often stay at the level of fundamental questions, behind the scenes it is about concrete interfaces – between regulation, digitization and market organization. An example of this is provided by a meeting of the Association of Private Commercial Road Passenger Transport in North Rhine-Westphalia (VSPV) with Johannes Wieczorek.

The Association of Private Commercial Road Passenger Transport of North Rhine-Westphalia (VSPV) continues to seek close cooperation with federal politics. However, the meeting with CDU transport politician Henning Rehbaum was not a first contact, but the continuation of a dialogue that had already begun at the state level.

In Berlin, the Alliance of Associations is repositioning itself—and is also banking on the topic of mobility. In the capital, quick access is often valued more than staying power. Accordingly, the outcome of the Alliance of Associations' general assembly is: personnel decisions and strategic emphases dovetail, and the network aims to secure and expand its influence.

In Berlin's political scene, attention is growing to the question of how gaps in public transit provision can be closed. At the meeting between the Green Party's transport policy spokeswoman Victoria Broßart and representatives of the Mobility Association VSPV, one concept was at the center, which has been discussed in the industry for some time: the so-called public transit taxi.

On the occasion of the first "World Public Transport Day," attention turns to the backbone of mobility – and its gaps. The Association of Private Commercial Road Passenger Transport in North Rhine-Westphalia (VSPV) uses April 17 to issue an open letter to Federal Minister of Transport Patrick Schnieder.

A one-year pilot project is launching in 20 districts of Hamburg. Passengers can commute in the evenings and at night for a fixed price between their home and selected U-Bahn and S-Bahn stations.

Beyond pure road traffic, the Federal Association of Taxi and Rental Cars (BVTM) is currently looking ahead. Last Friday, BVTM managing director Michael Oppermann and Floris Cooijmans, Policy Adviser for Governmental Relations & Regulation, met with Member of the Bundestag Victoria Brossart (Alliance 90/The Greens). Brossart is a member of the Transport Committee and is regarded as a key contact for transport policy questions in the Bundestag.

In the Görlitz district, taxis already play a supplementary role in public transport and bring people specifically to bus and rail services. What began as a pilot project in the Weißwasser area is set to soon cover almost the entire district.

New public transport taxi solutions are increasingly complementing the scheduled services in Bavaria. Clear fare models, funding programs and digital booking systems create a user-friendly offering – especially in regions where traditional bus services reach their limits.

Together with the Bern University of Applied Sciences, an autonomous shuttle is being developed that will better open up the rural areas and, specifically for older people, serve as a public alternative to owning a car.

At the end of August, in Hagen, around 100 representatives from licensing authorities of various districts in North Rhine-Westphalia met for the joint information event of VSPV and FPN. And under the title "Bus-Taxi Rental Cars: Shaping Future Mobility Together!?" the VSPV had invited experts from administration, transport companies, and licensing authorities to Dortmund in early September.

Germany’s three largest public transport operators want to work together more closely in the future. Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), Hamburger Hochbahn (HOCHBAHN) and Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft (MVG) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that sets out a strategic partnership for the public transport of the future. The aim is to leverage synergies, develop standards and offer smart mobility services to millions of passengers.

Ahead of tomorrow's special transport ministers' conference, Patrick Meinhardt, chief executive of TMV, is advocating the Deutschlandticket plus. The nationwide ticket should in future be valid not only for buses and trains, but also for taxi rides.

The TMV is pushing for a comprehensive public transport reform: An expanded Germany ticket should also include taxis and thus improve mobility outside of cities. The federal and state governments are to share the financing.

The taxi is not just a means of transportation, but increasingly part of a bigger idea: mobility for all – regardless of place of residence or physical conditions. This was the focus of the recent exchange between the Federal Association of Taxi and Rental Cars (BVTM) and SPD Member of Parliament Martin Kröber.

Changes are part of parliamentary routine, especially when responsibilities are redistributed within factions. Yet sometimes a departure from a specialist field is more than just a personnel matter. For the taxi and rental car industry, Martin Kröber's (SPD) departure from responsibility for the Passenger Transportation Act (PBefG) in the Bundestag signifies a disruption – albeit not a permanent one.

In Thuringia, the state association of the transport industry is setting new impulses for more taxis in public transport. The Association of Central German Bus Companies views the taxi industry's proposals with skepticism.

(dpa/lhe) Autonomous driving via app – the pilot project "Kira" is introducing self-driving cars into regular service for the first time. Southern Hesse is testing what could soon become everyday life everywhere.

A meeting with symbolic significance: On the day of Friedrich Merz's government declaration, representatives of the Federal Association of Taxi and Rental Cars (BVTM) discussed future topics of the industry with CDU transport politician Michael Donth.

It was not merely a celebration of existence, but also a warning to politics: At their 35th annual general meeting in Erfurt, the Thuringian transport and logistics industry made their voices heard clearly.

The Taxi and Rental Car Association (TMV) introduces key industry topics into political discussions. The association discussed with the CDU and SPD about reducing bureaucracy, barrier-free mobility, and expanding public transport taxis, especially with regard to rural areas.

Strong exchange and clear perspectives – at the meeting of the specialist divisions for taxi and rental car transport of the Rhineland-Palatinate transport associations on April 3, 2025, the future opportunities of the industry were the focus.

The Transport Ministers' Conference (VMK) was held on April 2 and 3, 2025, in Nuremberg. In advance, the German Taxi and Rental Car Association (TMV) addressed the chairman of the VMK, State Minister Christian Bernreiter (CSU), with a letter to address key concerns of the industry.

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.

The Taxi and Rental Car Association (TMV) makes a clear appeal to the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV). Public mobility with foresight must necessarily include taxis.

For the first time, the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) and the trade union ver.di have developed a joint paper outlining a vision for public transport up to 2035. The taxi associations have also formulated their demands.

The transport committee of the North Rhine-Westphalian state parliament decided in its meeting on January 15 to introduce a proposal for the statewide implementation of the public transport taxi. The initiative was introduced by the FDP and received support from the governing factions of the CDU and the Greens. The final vote in the plenary session is considered a formality.

The President of the TMV, Thomas Kroker, and the Chief Executive Officer of the TMV, Patrick Meinhardt, met with the Deputy Chairman of the SPD Parliamentary Group, Detlef Müller, before Christmas. Müller is responsible for transport policy in Berlin.

Convince the authorities of the necessity of the public transport taxi in five steps – with the new flyer, the Federal Association of Taxi and Rental Cars (BVTM) provides taxi entrepreneurs with arguments for implementation.