Overview

• The council approved the measure by a large majority, making Essen the first city in North Rhine-Westphalia to mandate minimum prices for Uber-style services, using Heidelberg’s model.
• The limit applies to spontaneous trips booked via platforms such as Uber and Bolt, with rides reserved more than an hour in advance exempt from the rule.
• The city plans to implement the rule on 1 January and to create at least two posts to enforce fare compliance and the return-to-base requirement.
• Uber warns average app fares would rise about 50 percent and hit low-income riders hardest, while local hire-car firms and the association Wirfahren plan legal challenges.
• Essen cites a commissioned study claiming deep discounts often rely on breaching labor and social rules, as taxi groups condemn what they call price dumping that erodes a public-service transport role.