Transport policy and digital infrastructure

(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.

Less bureaucracy, less protection? The North Rhine-Westphalian industry association VSPV calls on Federal Transport Minister Steffen Bilger not to lower the safety standards for volunteer transport services. Before any changes, the evaluation of the Exemption Regulation, which has been pending since 2021, must take place.

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.

The Mobility Association honors the former Federal Minister of Transport with a certificate of appreciation. Managing Director Sascha Waltemate and Patrick Meinhardt, Head of the Capital Office, highlight the close cooperation and open discussions about the future of the industry.

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 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.

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.

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.

The current SPD transport spokesperson is stepping down from the Berlin state parliament. The Taxi and Rental Car Association Germany is now putting Schopf forward for a role in the Berlin administration.

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.

With the reappointment of Christian Hirte as State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Transport, the mobility association VSPV has clear expectations. The association calls for a comprehensive evaluation of the Passenger Transport Act (PBefG) and advocates for a broad dialogue about the future of taxi, rental cars, and public transport.

(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.

Turbulent days in Berlin. First the surprising ouster of Patrick Schnieder, then the already-discussed successor Fritz Güntzler – and now Steffen Bilger takes over the Ministry of Transport. The taxi trade is now looking on with anticipation at the new man at the top.

The news came as a surprise, even though it had apparently been in preparation in Berlin for days. Federal Minister of Transport Patrick Schnieder (CDU) loses his post as part of a cabinet reshuffle. According to information from the Deutsche Presse-Agentur and ARD's Hauptstadtstudio, the CDU member of the Bundestag from Lower Saxony, Fritz Güntzler, is set to take over the post. An official confirmation had not yet been issued.

A meeting between politics and industry representatives brings the taxi trade's central demands back into focus and highlights common areas for action.

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 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.

At the LTV's annual meeting, in addition to numerous industry representatives and well-known exhibitors, high-ranking politicians also attended. Thuringia's Minister of Transport Steffen Schütz, the Parliamentary State Secretary Christian Hirte, and BVTM President Gregor Beiner also delivered opening remarks.

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.

At its 36th annual general meeting in Weimar-Legefeld, the Thuringia state association of the transport industry (LTV) e.V. unanimously adopted a resolution that takes a harsher tone than in previous years. The industry describes its situation as tense — economically as well as politically — and puts forward clear demands to the federal government and the states.

Taxi companies in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are sounding the alarm. After talks with the Minister-President, the question remains as to how dumping contracts can be prevented.

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.

Minimum fare, glut of rental cars in the Berlin suburbs – and the future Transport Senator Schopf? Hermann Waldner has invited the SPD top candidate for the Berlin state election 2026, Steffen Krach, and the SPD MP and tireless advocate for Berlin's taxi trade, Tino Schopf.

President Gregor Beiner held discussions with the European Commission and Members of the European Parliament on decarbonisation, autonomous vehicles and the initiative “Clean Corporate Vehicles”.

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.

The taxi industry is reorganizing itself. In Berlin and Leipzig two key players have decided to pool their resources. On January 23, 2026, the Berlin-based TAXI ONE GmbH and the Leipzig Taxi Central 4884 – Oldest Leipzig Radio Taxi Dispatch Center Ltd., agreed to merge their operations. The move is a reaction to a market that is changing rapidly – and to competitive pressure that is no longer fought solely on price.

New Year's reception at Taxi Deutschland e.V.: Politics, minimum prices and rental-car regulation in focus. On January 5, 2025, the traditional New Year's reception of Taxi Deutschland e.V. was held in Berlin. The event brought together representatives from politics, administration, and the taxi industry—a good occasion to acknowledge the constructive cooperation between Berlin's politics and the taxi trade in the federal capital.

The new board of the Federal Association for Taxi and Rental Cars (BVTM) aims to recalibrate the industry's advocacy. At a two-day retreat in Kassel, the body set the priorities at the end of January that are to guide its actions in the coming years: non-emergency medical transport services and a stronger embedding of the industry in the societal mobility discourse.

Schiphol Taxi Network, one of the four new taxi licensees at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, is launching a digital taxi service based on Invers' car-sharing technology. Since November 1, 2025, Schiphol Taxi Network has been operating a fleet of 50 vehicles at the airport.

The Association of Private Commercial Road Passenger Transport of North Rhine-Westphalia (VSPV e.V.) is expanding its political presence in the federal capital. Patrick Meinhardt, one of the best-known figures in the taxi and rental-car industry, will from January 1, 2026 serve as General Authorized Representative and head of the newly established capital city office.

In discussions with state politicians and trade association partners, Gregor Beiner outlined the central themes of his term in office. The focus was on transport policy issues as well as the role of taxi and rental-car traffic in future mobility concepts.

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.

The taxi industry has a new president – and he comes from Munich. Gregor Beiner, 39-year-old and owner of the Munich Taxi Center (mtz), was elected on Wednesday as the chairman of the Federal Association of Taxi and Mietwagen (BVTM). He succeeds Herwig Kollar, who has led the association in recent years through a period of far-reaching upheavals. Congratulations are now also coming from the Bavarian capital.

The Federal Association of Taxi and Rental Cars warns of ruinous competition through dumping prices by platform providers. It calls on the state government to quickly introduce minimum prices for rental cars in order to create fair conditions in Berlin's passenger transport.

At Oslo Airport, travelers no longer enter their destinations into the app, but into a terminal in the arrivals area. A few minutes later, the taxi is at your door—with a fixed fare, the desired features, and, if requested, also with a child seat or an electric drive. The system that enables this smooth handling comes from the Norwegian start-up Fast Travel and could serve as a model for German airports.

The TMV's chief executive, Patrick Meinhardt, is seeking direct contact with policymakers. He then met in Berlin with Dietmar Nietan, the SPD's federal treasurer and long-serving member of the Bundestag. The discussion focused on the future of the passenger transport industry, the role of taxis in public local transport, and political backing for the SME sector.

The Federal Association of Taxi and Rental Cars (BVTM) invited guests to its Parliamentary Evening for this year last Wednesday at the VW Drive event venue on Unter den Linden. The occasion for a review of four years of the Passenger Transport Act (PBefG) - and a look at the future of the taxi ecosystem.

In a letter to Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder, the association is pressing for a reversal of the strict ban on internal combustion engines. Instead, it calls for planning certainty and support for various propulsion systems.

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 Federal Association uses the first meeting with Transport Minister Schnieder to present key industry demands – from flexible mobility in rural areas to more precise regulations for municipalities and driver qualifications.

At the meeting in the Federal Ministry of Transport, central topics of the taxi and rental car industry were discussed. In addition to combating illegal rental cars, the introduction of minimum tariffs and the promotion of alternative vehicle drives were especially on the agenda.

Once upon a time, there was a reform announced. Four years ago, the amendment of the Passenger Transport Act came into effect – and with it, the traditional local knowledge test for rental car drivers disappeared. Instead, a new hurdle was to be introduced: the so-called "Small Professional Knowledge" test.

The taxi industry is struggling with the consequences of the reform. The rides arranged by taxi centers have decreased by a quarter over the last two years. It's high time to take stock, according to the BVTM – and they are inviting everyone to an online meeting.

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.

At the meeting in Munich, fair competition conditions in passenger transport are brought into focus. Hubert Aiwanger appeared well informed and assured support in the fight against unfair competition with Uber & Co.

How can mobility be designed to be social, fair, and sustainable? TMV and Armand Zorn sought answers to this with surprisingly high agreement on key issues such as public transport and market fairness.

While the Bundestag goes into the parliamentary summer break, the German Taxi and Rental Car Association (BVTM) remains politically active. A conversation about transport policy, urban reality – and quiet construction sites in the Berlin government operations.

A meeting in the Bundestag shows: The Taxi and Rental Car Association Germany (TMV) wants to contribute – and finds a receptive audience with an old acquaintance: Carsten Müller.

In celebration of the anniversary of the Berlin taxi industry, Patrick Schnieder is showing a sign of recognition. On the afternoon of June 12, Federal Minister of Transport Schnieder received a small delegation from the Berlin Taxi Guild in his ministry.

Patrick Meinhardt, chief executive officer of the Federal Association of Taxi and Rental Cars (TMV), met with Steffen Bilger, the First Parliamentary Secretary of the Union faction. A conversation between old colleagues—and experts in transport policy issues.

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.

With Olaf Lies and Grant Hendrik Tonne at the helm of Lower Saxony, the TMV is relying on continuity and clear signals for the industry. Initial statements on tariff policy and regional funding indicate the direction.

"Minimum wage now" with this demand, accompanied by loud protests, over 500 taxi drivers demonstrated in front of the Munich town hall yesterday, Monday, against the price and social dumping by Uber and Bolt in the Bavarian capital.

A new Minister of Transport takes office – and old topics are back on the table. Patrick Schnieder, CDU politician from Rhineland-Palatinate, will take over the Federal Ministry of Transport. The Taxi and Rental Car Association of Germany (TMV) has taken the opportunity to convey the industry's wishes and expectations to the future minister at an early stage.

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.