28%
of Hamburg's taxi fleet runs fully electric
According to the city, more than 750 taxis are already fully electric.
hamburg.de/zukunftstaxi, accessed 27 Oct 2026
Hamburg · Mietwagen & taxi · Uber and Bolt
Running a Mietwagen or taxi company in Hamburg: the rules now, and how to stay profitable
In Hamburg, since 1 January 2025, any vehicle you newly put into taxi or Mietwagen service (private hire with driver) is only licensed if it is locally zero-emission (§ 29a HmbKliSchG); large and wheelchair vehicles follow on 1 January 2027. Mietwagen must return to base after every trip, and licences last at most five years.
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Last updated: 27 October 2026
- Uber & Bolt in one view
- Deadlines per vehicle
- Cost per kilometre
In short
- New vehicles must be zero-emission: taxis and Mietwagen since 1 Jan 2025; vehicles with 8+ seats and wheelchair vehicles from 1 Jan 2027.
- The return-to-base rule stays: confirmed by Germany's Federal Court of Justice on 3 June 2026.
- Deadlines run per car and per driver: annual inspection (HU), licence and P-Schein (passenger transport permit) at most five years.
- Profit only shows per vehicle: Uber and Bolt revenue minus commission, wages and cost per kilometre.
The rules in Hamburg
What rules apply to Mietwagen companies in Hamburg?
On top of the federal Passenger Transport Act (PBefG), Hamburg operators deal with the city's climate law and the requirements of the Verkehrsgewerbeaufsicht (transport trade supervision). The key duties:
| Topic | What applies | Source |
|---|---|---|
| New vehicles | Licence for vehicles newly used as taxi or Mietwagen only if locally zero-emission, since 1 Jan 2025 | § 29a HmbKliSchG |
| Large & wheelchair | 8+ seats incl. driver, or built for wheelchair users: from 1 Jan 2027 | § 29a HmbKliSchG |
| Rückkehrpflicht | Return to base without delay after each trip unless a new order came in | § 49(4) PBefG |
| Order records | Record each incoming order (an app counts) and keep it for one year | § 49(4) PBefG |
| Parking | From the second Mietwagen: enough spaces within walking distance of the base | Hamburg guidance (PDF, German) |
| Trip data | Store every trip with its fare unaltered, keep for ten years | Hamburg guidance, § 147 AO |
| Licence (Konzession) | Valid for at most five years, then renewal | § 16(4) PBefG |
| Inspection (HU) | Every 12 months for passenger transport cars | StVZO Annex VIII |
| P-Schein | Driver's passenger transport permit, issued for at most five years | § 48(5) FeV |
Zukunftstaxi
What does Hamburg's zero-emission rule mean for your fleet?
Every vehicle you bring into service, as a replacement or to grow, has to be locally zero-emission: no CO₂, CO or nitrogen oxides while driving. This covers taxis and Mietwagen alike, including cars that get their trips from Uber or Bolt. For Mietwagen, the authority may allow exceptions case by case, for example for classic cars and vehicles with special bodies.
For taxis, the city's funding guideline states that combustion vehicles licensed before 1 January 2025 are grandfathered and may run indefinitely. So the switch happens car by car, whenever you replace or expand. That is exactly when cost and revenue per kilometre of an EV matter.
Sources: hamburg.de, climate law rule · funding guideline, stage 5 (German)
€5,000
subsidy per e-taxi – 45 days left
€10,000 for large e-taxis (8–9 seats), €20,000 for wheelchair-accessible e-taxis. Taxi licence holders only; the e-taxi must replace a combustion taxi and be licensed by 11 Dec 2026, while funds last.
10.84 vs 9.72
trips per shift: e-taxi vs combustion (2023)
Analysis of Hamburg taximeter data by the regional statistics office (Statistikamt Nord).
Profitability
Is Uber worth it in Hamburg? Do the maths per vehicle
Whether Uber and Bolt pay off is decided car by car, not city-wide: what is left after commission, driver wages, leasing, energy and repairs? If you only see the platforms' total revenue, you won't spot the car that loses money.
The example shows why comparing a combustion car with an EV should run through cost per kilometre. With the same revenue, energy and maintenance decide the result. Hamburg's licensing office already asks for a revenue and cost forecast covering staff, vehicle, base and booking costs when you apply (Hamburg guidance).
From practice: one operator used this software to find a van that was losing a few hundred euros every month.
| Item | Combustion | EV |
|---|---|---|
| Uber + Bolt revenue | €7,400 | €7,400 |
| Commission (assumed 25%) | −€1,850 | −€1,850 |
| Driver wages incl. on-costs | −€3,300 | −€3,300 |
| Leasing | −€550 | −€690 |
| Fuel / electricity | −€720 | −€380 |
| Insurance | −€290 | −€290 |
| Maintenance, tyres | −€210 | −€140 |
| Parking, base (share) | −€120 | −€120 |
| Vehicle cost per km | €0.32 | €0.27 |
| Monthly result | €360 | €630 |
Rückkehrpflicht
How does the return-to-base rule work for Mietwagen in Hamburg?
"After carrying out the transport order, the Mietwagen must return to its registered base without delay, unless it received a new transport order from its base or the operator's home before the trip, or during the trip."
§ 49(4) sentence 3 PBefG (our translation)
Germany's Federal Court of Justice (BGH) confirmed the rule on 3 June 2026 (case I ZR 123/25). A Mietwagen company running Uber trips through subcontractors is liable for their breaches too (BGH press release 100/2026, German).
What Hamburg's authority expects on top
- Orders arrive at the registered base and are passed on to your own drivers only from there.
- If you use electronic systems, a computer at the base handles and documents the orders. The Verkehrsgewerbeaufsicht checks this during inspections.
- Drivers' start and end of work are recorded; compliance with the Working Hours Act (ArbZG) is checked at licence renewal.
Source: Hamburg transport authority, guidance for Mietwagen applications (German)
Deadlines
Which deadlines does a Hamburg fleet operator need to track?
With 6 to 50 cars, something is always expiring: the HU inspection every 12 months, insurance, each driver's P-Schein and the licence, valid for five years at most. Miss an inspection or let a driver work with an expired P-Schein, and the car stops earning.
Hansaflotte lists every deadline per vehicle and driver and warns you in time. When a combustion car is due for replacement, you see its cost per kilometre right next to it.
HH-XA 104HU inspection in 12 days
Due soonDriver M. K.P-Schein expires in 41 days
RenewHH-XA 221Insurance renewed until 03/2027
OKHH-XA 318Combustion · €0.33 per km · plan replacement
ReviewLicenceRenewal in 7 months
Planned
How Hansaflotte helps
How do I keep my Hamburg fleet under control?
With one view instead of spreadsheets and WhatsApp groups. Hansaflotte connects your Uber and Bolt fleet accounts and brings cars, drivers and numbers together.
Uber and Bolt in one view
Every trip from both platforms in one place, with revenue per car and per driver after commission.
Cost per kilometre
Log repairs, energy, insurance and leasing per car. See which car pays its way and when switching to an EV makes sense.
Deadline alerts
HU, insurance, licence and P-Schein per car and driver, with a warning before anything expires.
Return-to-base monitoring
Trips are matched against your base. Waiting time without a follow-up order shows up as an alert on the car.
Forward orders to drivers
Ride orders, including from direct customers, go from your base to your drivers and stay documented centrally.
Automatic timesheets
Working hours from shift data instead of by hand. One operator went from about 5 hours a week to under 1 hour a month.
Setup
Ready in 3 steps – in about 48 hours
Add vehicles and drivers
Upload plates, inspection, insurance and licence dates, plus each driver's P-Schein expiry.
Connect Uber Fleet and Bolt Fleet
Link the fleet accounts. Trip data then flows in automatically.
Use the dashboard
Revenue per car and driver, cost per kilometre, return alerts and upcoming deadlines at a glance.
700+ operators
What does the software cost for a Hamburg fleet?
From $5.99 per driver per month. More than 700 Mietwagen and taxi operators already run drivers, cars, platform data and their Konzession (operating licence) with this software.
- Timesheets: from about 5 hours a week to under 1 hour a month.
- A van losing a few hundred euros a month became visible.
- Cash fraud caught by matching Samsara dashcam data with drivers' Uber online status.
Price
from $5.99 per driver/month
- Uber and Bolt connection
- Deadlines, cost per km, return monitoring
- Setup in about 48 hours
- 2-day free trial, no credit card
FAQ
Questions from Mietwagen and taxi operators in Hamburg
Does Hamburg require electric taxis?
Yes, for newly deployed vehicles. Since 1 January 2025, a licence for a vehicle used for the first time as a taxi or Mietwagen is only granted if the vehicle is locally zero-emission (§ 29a of the Hamburg Climate Protection Act, HmbKliSchG). For vehicles with eight or more seats and wheelchair vehicles the rule applies from 1 January 2027. According to the city's funding guideline, combustion taxis licensed before 2025 may keep running indefinitely.
Does the zero-emission rule also apply to Mietwagen working on Uber and Bolt?
Yes. § 29a HmbKliSchG explicitly covers Mietwagen services, whichever platform the trips come from. For Mietwagen, the licensing authority may grant case-by-case exceptions, in particular for classic cars (Oldtimer) and vehicles with special bodies.
What is Zukunftstaxi in Hamburg?
Zukunftstaxi ("taxi of the future") is the programme of Hamburg's transport authority (Behörde für Verkehr und Mobilitätswende) to move the taxi fleet to locally zero-emission vehicles. According to hamburg.de, more than 750 taxis already run fully electric, which is 28% of Hamburg's taxi fleet. The programme includes subsidies and fast chargers at taxi ranks.
What e-taxi subsidy is available in Hamburg in 2026?
The fifth funding stage pays €5,000 per e-taxi, €10,000 per large e-taxi with 8 to 9 seats and €20,000 per wheelchair-accessible e-taxi, while funds last. Only taxi licence holders are eligible, the e-taxi must replace a combustion taxi and must be licensed as a taxi by 11 December 2026. Mietwagen are not eligible.
What do I need to start a Mietwagen company in Hamburg?
You need a licence under the Passenger Transport Act (PBefG) from the Verkehrsgewerbeaufsicht, the trade supervision unit of Hamburg's transport authority. You must prove reliability, professional competence and financial capacity, including a start-up calculation and an asset statement confirmed by a tax adviser. For more than one Mietwagen, Hamburg requires parking spaces within walking distance of the registered base.
Is Uber worth it for a Mietwagen company in Hamburg?
It depends on each vehicle, not on the city. What matters is what is left after platform commission, driver wages and vehicle costs, in other words profit per car and cost per kilometre. There is no official figure for this; calculate it with your own Uber and Bolt data.
How does the return-to-base rule (Rückkehrpflicht) work in Hamburg?
After every trip, a Mietwagen must return to its registered base without delay unless it received a new order before or during the trip (§ 49(4) PBefG). In Hamburg, orders must arrive at the base and be passed on to drivers from there. Germany's Federal Court of Justice confirmed the rule on 3 June 2026 (I ZR 123/25).
What does Hansaflotte cost and how fast is setup?
From $5.99 per driver per month. Setup takes about 48 hours: upload vehicles and drivers, then connect Uber Fleet and Bolt Fleet. You can try it free for two days, no credit card required.
Next step
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- 1We get back to you this week.
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- 3Setup in about 48 hours.
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