Uber courted by German Transport Minister

German Transport Minister, Andreas Scheuer has courted minicab giants, Uber as well as other companies such as Lyft and Taxify, by offering to open the door for them to operate car-pooling services by 2021.

Under current German legislation it is illegal for private drivers to accept contracts from individuals directly. The only drivers who are allowed to perform this function are licensed taxi drivers.

Scheuer, who is an exponent of an open and free market was reported in Reuters as stating that both rural areas and the elderly may benefit from allowing car-pooling services to operate.

The Transport Minister acknowledged that there would be an impact to Germany's taxi industry and that factor had to be taken into consideration,  but he also stated that Germany couldn't exclude other service providers.

Uber operates in both Berlin and Munich but is expected to be operational in other  cities despite the restictions it has faced in Germany.