Cologne Court Blocks City’s Mandatory Minimum Ride‑Hailing Fares

The Administrative Court of Cologne issued an urgent injunction declaring the city’s minimum‑fare rule for rental‑car‑with‑driver services likely unlawful. The rule, introduced on 1 June 2026, required ride‑hailing operators such as Uber and Bolt to charge fares no more than 20 % below the local taxi tariff and prohibited discounts that would breach that floor.

The court found several procedural flaws: the mayor adopted the measure without the required council participation, and the city extended the fare‑floor to the taxi “mandatory‑area” that stretches beyond Cologne’s municipal boundaries, exceeding its statutory competence. Two ride‑hailing firms and the platform Bolt successfully challenged the regulation; the court granted them relief, while the city’s price mandate remains suspended for other operators pending a possible appeal to the Higher Administrative Court in Münster.

The decision highlights tensions between municipal attempts to curb price‑dumping in the ride‑hailing market and national/European legal frameworks. Earlier German cities, such as Heidelberg, have introduced similar minimum‑fare schemes under the reformed Passenger Transport Act of 2021.