If you are stuck in a traffic jam in a taxi, you can easily get nervous when the taximeter keeps ticking. In Munich it’s different now – with a fixed price.
In a taxi, time is often money – because the more seconds and minutes the journey takes longer because of a traffic jam, the fare on the taximeter increases. If you order a taxi in Munich, you no longer have to worry about this, even if the going is tough.
From Friday, passengers can agree on fixed prices in advance, as has long been possible with competing providers such as Uber. The state capital is the first city in Germany to make use of a legal innovation. Cities like Hamburg or Berlin want to follow suit.
“The new regulation was urgently needed so that the taxi industry can remain competitive,” explained Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD). He is hoping for a lot of use at the IAA mobility trade fair, which is about to start, and at the Oktoberfest from September 16th. Prerequisite: Passengers must order the taxi in advance and agree on a fixed price by phone, app, email or text message. If, on the other hand, a car is flagged down at the side of the road, the taximeter runs.
criticism of the regulation
Young people in particular prefer to call Uber or similar providers. A few clicks on the app and the rental car and driver are already booked for the desired route. And the price is also fixed right away and is usually much cheaper on top of that. Regular taxis, which have to adhere to the tariffs set by the municipalities, are often no longer used by younger people.
An unfair competition, says the President of the Federal Association of Taxi and Rental Cars, Herwig Kollar. The regulated taxi trade encounters rental car drivers, some of whom work illegally or without a license and under inhumane conditions.
“This is made possible by the responsible regulatory authorities looking the other way, who are simply afraid of legal encroachments by the American platform operators.” His demand: Minimum prices for app-mediated rental car traffic, which are based on the taxi tariff. “This is the only way to avoid wage dumping and tax evasion.”
Other cities want to follow suit
A tariff corridor applies to the fixed prices in Munich, as explained by the district administration department. The reference value is the basic and kilometer price of the applicable taxi tariff. The agreed price may deviate from this by up to 20 percent upwards and 5 percent downwards. In addition, the prices are to be monitored by the authorities. According to the authorities, the FreeNow switching service also wants to implement this tariff corridor.
It could also start in Hamburg and Berlin at some point. The Hanseatic city announced that the introduction of a fixed price regulation within a tariff corridor for taxi rides to order was planned. One is in discussion with the taxi trade. The traffic administration in Berlin is also open to suggestions from the industry. However, a tamper-proof and legally permissible implementation must be found, said a spokeswoman.
In Leipzig, the SPD parliamentary group is pushing the issue. According to a request to the council meeting, taxis as part of local public transport must remain competitive and remain attractive for younger customer groups through modern booking behavior.
Municipalities should benefit
In Cologne or Nuremberg, on the other hand, the cities have not yet given any consideration in this direction. The city administration in Nuremberg writes that the classic taximeter is often the method of choice because it calculates by route. “Whether this will also be relevant in Nuremberg in the future will certainly depend on the overall market development.”
At the State Association of Bavarian Taxi and Rental Cars, on the other hand, there are reports of many inquiries from all over Germany. Chairman Thomas Kroker hopes that other cities will follow the Munich example. And that the rental car market is also regulated.
The municipalities also benefit: “In phases, there are more so-called rental cars than real taxis in use on Munich’s streets, mostly from external companies that don’t pay any trade tax in Munich,” says Kroker. His wish: “No wild growth, but an orderly trade”.
Source: Stern
