When restaurants are closed, Christmas markets are canceled and most people forego traveling by bus and train due to the pandemic, there is hardly any need for taxi rides.
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Corona keeps people in their homes. A disaster for the taxi industry. Hardly any money is made anymore. This year, Karin Uibel from the Kehler Taxi Service expects corona-related losses of around 50 percent – although there was bridging aid from the state in the spring. “We also received financial support for school transport,” says the woman in the taxi center. “That kept us afloat in the first half of the year.”
Bus driver on short-time work
Business recovered well from September up to and including November, when business really picked up speed again. So your company has not had to apply for short-time work for the five full-time drivers, says Uibel. The situation is different with the small bus company, which has four vehicles and is connected to the taxi service. “Here we have sent the three permanent drivers on short-time work. The excursion industry for small groups is completely dead. “
Day-to-day business runs thanks to regular customers
After all, the day-to-day business is still to some extent thanks to the regular customers. These include, for example, patients who regularly have dialysis, chemotherapy or radiation. The regular clientele, on the other hand, who were driven for physiotherapy or medical examinations, has decreased significantly.
The school trips for children who attended special schools also look poor. Thanks to her, the company could count on a steady order situation up to a week ago, explains Karin Uibel. “That was over since December 16.”
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Hardly any bar trips
It also looks bleak when it comes to bar trips. This means the transport service of train travelers and tourists who get into a taxi at the train station. They can be counted on one hand. Spontaneous passengers who, for example, sink into the taxi cushion after enjoying too much mulled wine, are also out of the question due to the exit restrictions between 8 and 5 a.m. Not to mention the closed restaurants and the canceled Christmas markets. “It will stay that way for the coming weeks,” Uibel is certain. The Christmas business had almost completely broken down. “The same will apply to New Year’s Eve.”
Life from the reserves
The taxi company, which has existed since 1990, does not have the alternative of simply parking their cars and hoping for better times. “According to the Passenger Transport Act, we are obliged to make our taxis available for local public transport – no matter what comes,” explains Karin Uibel. An employee pushes on-call duty in the radio control center until 1 a.m. every day. At the same time, some vehicles still need to be serviced. “However, the bank has assured us that it will be at our side if things get tight. But we haven’t had to accept this offer yet. We hardly make any profit, but we have built up reserves in the past. So we can still pay our installments. ”
With a black eye out of the crisis?
If the second lockdown ends in early 2021, the Uibels and their employees will come out of the crisis with a black eye. But should the measures be extended, the Kehler taxi owners will slowly but surely run out of money. Then the otherwise healthy business could well face bankruptcy.
A quarter of the companies are threatened with bankruptcy
The German Association of Taxi and Rental Cars warns that 12,000 taxi companies could become insolvent by the end of 2021 – that would be just under a quarter of all German taxi companies.
This would eliminate around 80,000 of a total of 250,000 jobs for taxi drivers in Germany.
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