Transportdienstleistungen: Taxifahren - eine Frage des Preises?
Die Taxi-Branche steckt in der Krise - und wütet vor allem gegen Mietwagenplattformen wie Uber oder Bolt. Ein wissenschaftliches Diskussionspapier zeigt nun: Die Branche hat auch Trends verschlafen.
On a Tuesday afternoon in early August, a significant difference between taxis and ride-hailing platforms like Uber or Bolt became evident in Frankfurt am Main. When a passenger wanted to travel from Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof to the airport using a taxi via the Free Now app, they were shown a fixed price of €38. An Uber ride for the same route was €26, around a third cheaper at that time.
In Berlin, the fare for the same journey was up to €60, about half the price of the Frankfurt route. This disparity stems from the fact that taxi fares are state-regulated, while ride-hailing platforms can set their own prices based on time of day and demand. The taxi industry views this as an unfair competitive advantage and sees it as the main reason for the crisis the sector has been facing for years.
The study by the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin für Sozialforschung (WZB) highlights the need for digitalization within the taxi industry, as the central challenge is not only price competition but also adapting to changing expectations for booking, communication, and payment. While a price of more than €39 is directly associated with taxis being too expensive, almost two-thirds of those who said they would never use a taxi would consider using Uber or another ride-hailing platform.
The study emphasizes the need for digitalization in the taxi industry, as many platforms offer transparent and cashless billing, a feature that is not widespread in the taxi industry.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
