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Mindestlohn

January 9, 2015

Many taxi companies in Germany rang in the New Year by hiking fares due to the minimum wage that went into effect on 1 January.

https://p.dw.com/p/1EHst
11.11.2014 DW Wirtschaft Taxi

Prices have increased 20 percent on average since the first of January. Speaking on Friday in Frankfurt, the executive director of the German taxi and car rental association, Thomas Gratz, said two-thirds of the country’s cities and municipalities had already approved higher rates. Similar reports appeared in the weekly news magazine "Focus".

It was said that price hikes were necessary to ensure that taxi companies could pay their drivers a minimum wage of 8.50 euros an hour. According to reports, the biggest increase was seen in Erfurt, where prices went up by 40 percent. Hamburg, by contrast, saw a hike of just eight percent. Three of the four taxi associations located in Berlin have applied for government approval of a 30 percent fare increase.

ks/ej/mj (dpa, afp, focus)