What`s new in the taxi world? Our bilingual ‘update’ summarises the international news of the last days and hours. As some of the links are in foreign languages, we recommend using a website translator.
Investment firm aquires a Nordic Taxi Company: H.I.G. Europe (“H.I.G.”) announced that it has completed the acquisition of Fågelviksgruppen (“FVG”). Nordic FVG, founded by Rolf Karlsson and owner of the leading brands, such as Taxi Kurir, 020, Norges Taxi and Taxi Skåne, is a provider of taxi technology and services to independent transporters.
LCD top lights for Liverpool taxis: Open Messenger plan to transform taxi advertising with 50 new cabs pulling up in Liverpool this year.
Quote of the day
“We need to recognise that the services offered by Uber (and similar companies) meet the expectations of at least part of the population in terms of quality, price and availability.”
EU Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc shows her sympathy for the U.S. service provider. This leaves us wondering why the taxi trade cannot meet these “expectations”. Perhaps Ms Bulc does not know?
Automobile news
World premier at domestic trade show: Hyundai is presenting its Sonata plug-in hybrid for the first time in Seoul. It is scheduled for launch in 2016.
News from Germany
Call for an end to the taxi monopoly: In an interview, economist and former chairman of the German Monopolies Commission Justus Haucap expresses understanding for the basic concept of Uber and addresses the weaknesses of the taxi trade.
Liberalise the taxi market: This spokesperson also provides convincing arguments for the liberalisation of the taxi market. Above all, the taxi trade needs more flexible rates.
News from Austria and Switzerland
Salzburg taxi drivers are furious: Salzburg taxi drivers make the trip across the border into Germany every day. But if the passengers are refugees without passports, the drivers are arrested for ‘human trafficking’.
http://derstandard.at/2000014299284/Salzburger-Taxler-boykottieren-Bayern
Restaurant visitors receive discounts on rides home: Fixed prices below the standard taxi rates can be a successful marketing tool, as a cooperation between a Swiss taxi company with several restaurants has proven.
autonomous drive
Uber is seeking engineers to work on developing self-driving cars: We think it is a great idea, because if there is no longer a driver behind the wheel, regulations on health examinations or local clientele no longer need to be observed. Not that anyone really ever cared in the first place …
Our last words
Minimum wage fraud in the taxi trade? A member survey in Bremen has accused the syndicate of taxi drivers there of committing this. Is a small group of chronically dissatisfied taxi drivers from Bremen reacting to something that has been applied throughout all of Germany since the introduction of the legal minimum wage? Anyone who catches himself agreeing with this should quickly reconsider.
http://www.ig-bremer-taxifahrer.de/unsere-themen/mindestlohn-1/umfrage-zum-mindestlohn/
