In relation to site selection and mobility within new city, transportation remains one of key determining factors of positive experience. In the recent past, social ride hailing services such as Uber have grown popular in the global market as an easy option to a taxi. When organizing a trip to Berlin you might be asking yourself if Uber operates in the capital of Germany.

Exploring the ridesharing Business Environment in Berlin

Uber is present in many cities of the world, but driving in Berlin creates extra challenges for the company. In 2014, the Berlin government considered Uber services as unlawful and that the organisation was operating it as a car rental firm but without the correct authorities. Such a decision was made due to the regulations that were meant to defend conventional taxi companies as well as the concept of free and fair competition.

Nonetheless, Uber is still present in Berlin with those protections in place. However, the main role of the company in the city does not entail services that are provided in other places under the basic services provided by the Uber. Thus, Uber supplies contracts or works only with licensed chauffeur service providers which can be compared to limo service providers in Berlin. They maintain compliance with different laws and regulation of the country in which the business is located.

UberX in Berlin: A Licensed Alternative

The core service that Uber offers and have dubbed UberX is currently not offered in Berlin because of the legal constraints highlighted above. Nevertheless, there is a licensed version of Uber that goes under the name UberX Professional. The exists in accordance with the Berlin government regulations that permits it to connect users to professional drivers and well-registered cars.

The UberX Professional service has several benefits for travelers in Berlin. First, it means that the drivers who are hiring their services are qualified as per the provided legal requirements to drive the car and are insured. Also, the vehicles to be used for UberX Professional need to meet certain qualities in terms of the comfort and reliability in their usage by the users.

Unsurprisingly, UberX Professional in Berlin costs more than in many other cities in the world, as has been illustrated in the table above. This has in turn led to an increased cost as the drivers and the vehicles have to meet local requirements hence translating to high operation costs.

German Competitors in Berlin That Offer Car-Hailing Services

However it should be pointed out that there are other Uber offerings that can also be utilized for getting around Berlin, UberX Professional is a licensed transportation service which should be mentioned that there are other ride-hailing applications available in the city. These services widely viewed as local homologs of Uber function according to the legal regulation determined by the Berlin authorities.

Note: Competitors of Uber in Berlin include; MyTaxi, FREE NOW, and Bolt previously known as Taxify.

The famous taxi application giving access to licensed taxi within Berlin is MyTaxi. Some of the services you will find include upfront pricing charges, estimated time of arrival, accept cash and card payments. It has a simple interface, and the product is translated into several languages; therefore, it might be worth trying for tourists.

Another favourite is FREE NOW which was formerly mytaxi and combined with Hailo. With an integration of the FREE NOW app, users can request licensed taxis, or electric scooters; In a way, thanks to FREE NOW, Berlin has accessible mobility solutions which are often required. To a greater extent, pre-booking and fare estimates are also provided by the app to further improve their usage.

Another competitor in Berlin is Bolt, which used to be called Taxify. Like UberX Professional, Bolt obeys the term of law as it is affiliated with official drivers and proper vehicles. The app offers predicted prices at the first visit, the ability to track the real position of the vehicle, and acceptance of cash and / or credit cards.

In Conclusion

uberX which is Uber’s base service is currently banned in Berlin but UberX Professional, which is legally hired is provided by Uber. This service as can be seen from the above information is bound by the laws of the Berlin government and offers drivers and vehicles for hire.

But it is necessary to emphasize that Berlin doesn’t lack the Uber-imitative, regulated ride-hailing services with similar opportunities. MyTaxi, FREE NOW and Bolt are the options most favoured in Germany both by foreign guests and the locals to guarantee uninterrupted ride-hailing services in Berlin.

If you have any plans to visit the German capital, here are the other options to Uber, which you can take to get around: Regardless of your choice of UberX Professional or any of the other local competitors, you will have plenty of choices making your transport in Berlin as smooth as a possible.