With vigils in all 16 federal states, cab drivers want to demonstrate against a planned new regulation for competitors such as the ride service provider uber.
They feared this would threaten the cab industry. The background to this is the liberalization of the driving services market planned by federal transport minister andreas scheuer (csu), which is intended to eliminate the so-called return obligation for rented cars with drivers, as the president of the federal association of cab and rented cars, michael muller, explained on friday. "The planned changes to the law on personal requirements would mean the end of the cab industry," says muller.
The series of vigils is to start next tuesday in front of the brandenburg state parliament and end on 28 tuesday in front of the federal parliament. June will end in front of the red city hall in berlin, the association announced. He expects ten to 20 participants in potsdam, said the association’s deputy managing director, frederik wilhelmsmeyer. Restrictions in the cab service are not to be expected during the one-hour vigil, he emphasized.
"We want to campaign in the federal states for them not to agree to the planned new regulation in the bundesrat," explained wilhelmsmeyer. "Brandenburg’s minister president dietmar woidke has already signaled his support for us."
Until now, cab competitors have had to return to their main location after each trip if they do not have a new order. Cabs, on the other hand, were allowed to wait for customers on the street. This regulation is so far the only protection against competitors who attack with dumping rates, stressed muller. Otherwise, there is a threat of a price war with the cab drivers, who are bound by the rates set by the municipalities. How this will end is foreseeable, said muller: "uber and co take over the market and then dictate the prices."
On thursday, several hundred cab drivers protested in front of the senate administration in berlin, demanding more controls on competing operators. In many cases, taxis do not comply with the obligation to return and wait for customers at cab stands or airports, according to the demonstrators.