Uber relies on car rental companies in Cologne "Uber will also be coming here, it's just a matter of time"

COLOGNE · The driving service Uber started in Cologne around four weeks ago. Here is a look at how it is working so far, and how the Uber concept has had to be adapted for Europe. It is likely just a matter of time before it comes to Bonn/Rhine-Sieg.

The small blue car moves over the digital map on the smartphone screen. It shows that it will take three minutes for the Uber car to arrive at Cologne Central Station but in the end it takes nine minutes. The driver's detours can be followed live on the cell phone. Then the silver Toyota arrives at Breslauer Platz. The app has already given the license plate number, allowing the passenger to recognize the car which is otherwise not marked. From Cologne Central Station, the driver will go to Klettenberg Park - for a fixed price of 11.95 euros, which the app had already quoted before the trip. By taxi it would have been - depending upon traffic situation - approximately 18.50 euros.

The controversial U.S. driving service has been on the road in Cologne for almost four weeks now. According to the company, 300,000 people from 116 countries tried to book an Uber in Cologne last year. Uber does not want to say how many cars it has out in Cologne at present. The company says it is working with rental car companies who want to make better use of their cars. According to Uber spokesman Tobias Fröhlich, most of the drivers are employed by the rental car companies which are subject to social insurance contributions. "Everyone receives at least the minimum wage, but usually more.”

At least theoretically, Uber also offers its services in the Bonn/Rhein-Sieg area. However, business in Bonn and the surrounding area is apparently still sluggish. Anyone who wants to order an Uber via cell phone usually receives a notification that there is no vehicle available. According to Uber spokesman Fröhlich, there is “no reliable availability” at the moment in Bonn and Rhine-Sieg. He points out that it is in a start-up phase in the region and that business is to be expanded here.

Claus Lenz, managing director of the Bonn Taxi Cooperative says that Uber drivers have so far not taken away passengers from taxi drivers. But he adds, “Uber will also be coming to us here, it is just a matter of time.”

Those who want to use Uber have to first download the app. Before the first trip can be booked, at least one payment option must be set up with credit card or Paypal.

In our test booking in Cologne, there are several drivers to choose from. The driver at the top of the list with a good rating has been driving for 20 days for Uber according to the app and has already completed 170 rides. His language skills are listed as "knows German". The 44-year-old driver, who does not want to be identified, has only been living in Germany for a few years and still struggles with some language barriers. He previously worked as a taxi driver in Syria and now lives in Leverkusen. Because there is no Uber there yet, he commutes daily to Cologne. He works between 35 and 40 hours a week and is employed by a rental car company that works for Uber. Accordingly, he is provided with a car, does not have to pay any fuel costs and receives a fixed hourly wage. This is an important factor, as it sometimes happens that customers do not show up. Between once and twice a week, nobody is at the specified pick-up location, the driver explains.

"I like my work a lot and every day I hear new stories from the people who ride with me," says the 44-year-old. One of the biggest challenges for him is the unfamiliar road system in Cologne. His mobile phone is his navigation system and it doesn't always send him where he wants to go. He makes an average of ten trips a day throughout the entire city of Cologne. His ratings already speak for him after a few weeks. He is punctual, the car is clean and the conversation pleasant. Like all Uber drivers in Germany, he needs a passenger transport permit. The former Uber concept of sending private people on the road with their private cars has failed in Europe and has therefore been changed.

After the trip in Cologne, the app asks for an evaluation and allows the passenger to give the driver a tip. The 44-year-old Uber driver says he has no quarrel with taxi drivers. This probably makes him an exception. The new competition has apparently led to some disputes in Cologne. Uber spokesperson Fröhlich calls the relationship between Uber and the taxi industry "relatively tense". There have been verbal and physical assaults against the drivers for Uber as well as several complaints filed, he says. Included in taxi driver complaints are that Uber drivers were picking up passengers at taxi stands without permission.

The so-called obligation of return is also a controversial issue. According to current legislation, only local taxis are allowed to wait for customers in city centers. Rental cars, and thus also Uber vehicles, must return to their home base after each trip. In this way, legislation is there to protect taxis which are not allowed to refuse less lucrative short distances, in contrast to other driving services.

Aleksandar Dragicevic is spokesman for the Cologne Taxi Call Cooperative. He estimates that there are currently 100 to 120 Uber vehicles on the road in Cologne. He fears that the U.S. company will drive taxi companies to ruin with its competitive prices.

But a trip with Uber is not always cheaper than with a taxi. The price will be quoted before the booking, but varies according to demand and occupancy. In exceptional situations such as New Year's Eve, anyone who orders a car via Uber might have to pay significantly more than for a taxi. "In return, the customer definitely gets a driver."

(Orig. text: Delphine Sachsenröder, Elena Sebening, Translation: ck)

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