The Senate is halting the licensing of new taxis in Berlin for one year. (Archive image)
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The Berlin Senate does not want to approve any new taxis in Berlin for one year. According to the Senate Department for Transport, the state government wants to combat oversupply with this measure.
"Demand has been declining for years and has not increased significantly since the introduction of the fixed-price option," it said. "In contrast, however, the number of taxis on the roads has risen sharply."
Between December 2024 and the end of January 2026, the number of vehicles in the capital increased from 5,400 to 6,600 taxis. For many companies, economically viable operation is no longer possible in view of this oversupply. The Senate therefore fears that some companies could break the law in order to earn any money at all, to the detriment of drivers. "This leads to distortions of competition at the expense of companies that operate in compliance with the law and jeopardizes the stability of the entire industry," it said.
It is conceivable, for example, that companies will pay less than the minimum wage or resort to undeclared work. The situation in Berlin's taxi industry has been tense for years. From the industry's point of view, this is mainly due to excessive prices, which are heavily regulated by the respective local authorities for taxi services. Car rental platforms such as Uber or Bolt, on the other hand, are not subject to this so-called tariff obligation.
In July 2024, the Senate introduced a fixed-price option in Berlin's taxi industry. This means that passengers who book taxis online know how much the journey will cost before they set off. However, according to the Senate, this measure has not yet boosted demand. The one-year moratorium on new taxis in Berlin that has now been imposed also applies to applications for expansion by existing companies. "New applicants can be placed on a waiting list for this period," it said. Companies that have already been approved can continue to operate at the same level as before.