Cab permit; application

You need a cab permit if you want to transport people commercially by cab.

Transport by cab is the transportation of passengers in passenger vehicles which the operator keeps available at officially approved locations and with which he carries out journeys to a destination specified by the passenger. The operator may also accept transportation orders during a journey or at the place of business.

New applicants receive the permit for a maximum of two years. An extension is granted for a maximum of five years.

Holders of a cab permit have the following obligations:

• Duty to operate
  You must maintain operations, including at night if necessary.
• Duty to provide transportation
  You may only refuse journeys (even short ones) if the driver cannot reasonably be expected to provide transportation. This is the case, for example, if a person is heavily intoxicated.
• Fare obligation
  Within the compulsory travel area applicable to you, the price for a journey is based on the locally prescribed transport charges. The compulsory fare area is usually the urban or rural district where the company is based.

The equipment of the cabs is prescribed. The following regulations apply:

• The vehicle must be equipped with a roof sign.
• You must affix a yellow registration license plate to the rear window of your cab; the registration number is issued by the licensing authority.
• The color scheme for cabs (light ivory) is prescribed in Bavaria, § 26 BOKraft.
• You must affix the company address in a clearly visible place inside the vehicle.
• The fare indicator must display the fare visibly for the passengers.

Cabs may be parked at the designated cab ranks and requested by passengers on the street or at the operator's place of business.

• The following documents are required for the cab permit:
  • Proof of personal reliability (not older than three months at the time of application), e.g.:
    • Extract from the Federal Central Register (certificate of good conduct)
    • Information from the central commercial register
    • Extract from the central traffic register
  • Extract from the commercial or cooperative register (certified copies)
  • Copy of the articles of association and the list of shareholders
  • for legal entities: Proof of authorization to represent the company
  • Evidence of financial standing (not older than three months at the time of application):
    • Clearance certificates from the tax office
    • Certificate of no objection from the responsible municipality
    • Certificate of no objection from the social insurance:
      • from health insurance companies with which you insure or have insured employees, and
      • for yourself, if you are or were voluntarily or privately insured.
    • Clearance certificate from the Employer's Liability Insurance Association for Transport and Traffic (not older than three months at the time of application).
    • Equity certificate and, if applicable, supplementary certificate (not older than twelve months at the time of application).
      • The amount of equity depends on the number of vehicles intended for use: For the first vehicle, you must provide evidence of equity capital in the amount of 2,250 euros, and for each additional vehicle, 1,250 euros.
  • Evidence of professional suitability:
    • Certificate of the specialist knowledge examination at the IHK or
    • Certificate of professional qualification from the IHK for at least three years of managerial activity in a cab company or
    • Certificate of the recognized equivalent final examination (e.g. businessman's examination in railroad and road transport with focus on passenger transport)
  • if you appoint other persons to manage the company, you must submit the following documents for them:
    • Certificate of good conduct
    • Information from the central business register
    • Extract from the driving suitability register
    • Proof of professional suitability
    • Proof of employment (employment contract)

  The competent body may request further documents

• The entrepreneur or the persons appointed to manage the company must be reliable and professionally suitable.
• The company must be secure. For example, there must be no arrears in taxes or social security contributions and vehicle maintenance must be impeccable.
• The company must be financially viable.
• The company's business locations entered in the commercial register or register of cooperatives must be in Germany.

You must apply for a cab permit in writing to the relevant authority. Depending on the service, you can download an application form from the Internet.

In the consultation procedure, the competent authority requests comments from, among others

• Municipalities
• trade supervisory authorities
• the Chamber of Industry and Commerce
• the relevant trade unions and professional associations

After the deadline for comments has expired, it decides on the application and informs the applicant of the result in writing.

The responsible office will usually decide on your application within three months. The period can be extended by a maximum of a further three months. The prerequisite is that the competent authority has announced this in a written interim decision within the first three months.

Framework fee for the permit: EUR 100.00 - EUR 1,465

For standard cases it is

• for the first vehicle: EUR 150.00
• for each additional vehicle: EUR 40.00

These amounts are not binding for the licensing authority.

In the event of excessive administrative costs, the licensing authority may deviate from these amounts up to the maximum amount of the framework fee.

You will incur further costs for register information and other documents.