Anyone who wants to take a taxi in Saxony has to dig deeper and deeper into their pockets. And the prices could continue to rise – the country’s taxi association warns of the consequences for drivers and customers.
Dresden (dpa / sn) – As in other federal states, taxi prices in Saxony are also being adjusted to the rising minimum wage. “Otherwise you no longer need to run the business if you still pay for your service,” said the chairman of the state association of Saxon taxi and rental car companies, Jan Kepper, of the German Press Agency. In the past one and a half to two years, the prices for an average taxi ride have risen by around 30 percent, said Kepper. The main reason for the increases was the minimum wage, not so much the energy crisis as a result of the Russian war of aggression.
According to Kepper, some providers have not increased their prices since 2015, which is why some extreme adjustments have now been necessary. In Dresden, there has already been a wage increase of eleven percent this year, and another eight percent are to be added in April due to the new minimum wage.
According to the association, the basic fee in Dresden has been €4.00 since April 2022. In Chemnitz, according to the information, the price rose to the same level on Thursday. In Leipzig, the basic fee has been €3.90 since this year. The kilometer prices have also been increased in all three cities: In Dresden, the first to third kilometer currently costs 2.70 euros – 40 cents more than before. 10 cents are expected to be added in 2023. No further adjustments are planned in Chemnitz and Leipzig for the time being. The minimum wage of 12 euros per hour is taken into account in the current tariffs.
The association warned that taxi companies could no longer afford individual drivers due to the increased minimum wage and that customers would therefore have to wait longer for their taxi. Kepper suspects that this could happen in early 2023 because November and December are still good months thanks to the holidays, even if demand this year is a bit lower than in the comparable months of 2019. “But in January, February I fear that a number of companies have to part with certain staff,” said Kepper.
