Online services like Bolt, Free Now, Holmi and Uber arrange taxis and not rental cars.
Starting today, Monday, taxi driving without a taximeter is permitted in Austria for the first time. The taxi and rental car business was merged at the beginning of the year, and all drivers now need a taxi license. The brokerage platforms Free Now and Holmi are now expanding their offerings in Vienna. Uber also announced an offensive in Vienna and Salzburg.
According to the company, around 1,200 taxis drive around Vienna for Free Now. “Our customers now have the opportunity to decide for themselves whether they want to use the convenience of a spacious limousine or prefer a cheap standard taxi,” explains Free Now managing director Sarah Lamboj in a broadcast.
Holmi is already basing its price model on the new Vienna Taxi Tariff Ordinance, which is expected to come into force in mid-March. For trips booked in advance via the Internet or by telephone, the minimum taxi fare can be under or overrun by up to 20 percent. “With the price framework, we are anticipating the advantages of the tariff model announced by the City of Vienna and ensuring that the customer can order a vehicle at the lowest price,” said Holmi Managing Director Jürgen Gunz.
With the merger of the taxi and rental car industry, also known as “Lex Uber, the rules of the taxi industry were largely adopted, but a little more price flexibility was created.
All drivers now have to have a taxi license, thousands of rental car drivers lost their jobs. NEOS politician Markus Ornig recently spoke of up to 5,000 people affected.
Online services such as Bolt, Free Now, Holmi and Uber now arrange taxis and not rental cars. For the taxi license you have to take an exam and the driver has to prove knowledge of German. Most of the former rental car drivers do not have a taxi license and, according to industry representatives, the failure rate for the taxi test is very high.
