Frankfurt taxi drivers protest: minimum prices for fairness now!

Frankfurt taxi drivers protest: minimum prices for fairness now!

In the heart of Frankfurt, today, several hundred taxi drivers gathered for an impressive rally to loudly protest against the dumping prices of providers such as Uber and Bolt. Shortly before 10 a.m., around 300 taxis rolled through the city in two columns from the starting points at Römerhof and Stadium. This action temporarily caused significant disruption to local public transport. As the taxi drivers moved through districts like Sachsenhausen, past the trade fair and the main train station, they presented their (!) most urgent concerns.

The taxi drivers are not only demanding stricter controls from the city, but also the introduction of minimum prices for rental car brokers. Currently, the minimum price for taxi rides is 2.40 euros per kilometer, while a minimum price of 2.20 euros is proposed for rental car providers. “In recent years we have experienced a decline in sales and are worried about our financial future,” said a concerned taxi driver. However, the city of Frankfurt rejected the taxi drivers' criticism. According to Annette Rinn (FDP), head of the regulatory department, there are already reviews of concessions in the rental car sector, even if a report on the need for minimum prices has not yet been commissioned.

Political resistance and needs

The political discussion about minimum prices remains tense. Ulas Gergin, representative of the taxi association, criticized the delays and warned of “cannibalization” in the passenger transport industry. While the Frankfurt FDP voted no to minimum prices at a general meeting, Gergin emphasized that these could also be introduced without an expert opinion. So there’s a lot of fuel there!

The public prosecutor's office has already uncovered a case of tax and social security fraud at rental car providers, which further exacerbates the already critical situation for taxi drivers. “Taxis have privileged conditions such as fixed prices, while driving service providers can often offer cheaper rates,” Gergin supports his arguments. In the context of this distortion of competition, CDU politician Martin-Benedikt Schäfer also agrees: “There is a need to catch up in some areas to ensure fairness in the industry.”

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But the taxi drivers are not resting on their first success. A National Day of Action has already been announced for July 2nd, with protests planned in major cities such as Berlin, Cologne and Frankfurt. The Federal Association of Taxi and Rental Cars sees the need to introduce legal minimum prices for ride-hailing services such as Uber. So far only Leipzig and Lörrach have made use of the regulation of the Passenger Transport Act, which allows municipal minimum prices.

These nationwide protests are the first coordinated action by the taxi industry in over five years, and many eyes are on what comes out of it. While negotiations and discussions continue, it remains to be seen whether passengers will be offered a fairer and more transparent pricing model in the taxi industry.

In the meantime, taxi drivers are determined to fight for their rights and fairness in their trade, and they hope that the city and politicians will soon respond to their demands.

For further information about ongoing developments, readers can consult the reporting from tagesschau.de, fnp.de and taxi-heute.de track.