Build a customer base
Companies, hotels and private clients with contacts, ride history and terms. You see who books regularly and who has gone quiet.
Direct customers for Mietwagen
Win direct customers beyond Uber: corporate clients, hotels and airport transfers
A German Mietwagen (private hire car with driver) operator wins direct customers through its own channels: companies, hotels, law firms and airport transfers booking via its website, email or phone. The law is the same as for Uber rides: every order must reach the base, be logged and be kept for one year (§ 49(4) PBefG). The return-to-base rule then applies.
- Customer base in a CRM
- Time-stamped orders
- Your own booking website
Last updated: 27 October 2026
Ride requestExample
- Pickup
- Hotel am Stadtpark, main entranceCorporate client · framework agreement
- Destination
- Airport, Terminal 1Departure 08:40
- Time
- Thu 29 Oct, 06:15Received at base: 27 Oct, 18:42
- Passenger
- Ms Example, 2 people2 suitcases · invoice to company
- Status
- forwarded to driver
Platform vs. direct customer
Why are direct customers worth it alongside Uber and Bolt?
Because with a direct client you control the price, the schedule and the relationship. The platforms still keep your cars busy. But every ride a regular books with you directly makes you a little less dependent on them.
In short
Platform rides bring volume, direct customers bring predictability. The same law covers both: order received at the base, logged, followed by the return-to-base rule.
| Aspect | Platform ride | Direct customer |
|---|---|---|
| Fare | set by the platform, minus its service fee | agreed by you (mind minimum fares under § 51a PBefG) |
| Customer relationship | belongs to the platform | belongs to you, with a name and a contact person |
| Planning | short notice, fluctuating | advance bookings, recurring rides |
| Billing | payout by the platform | invoice to the company or hotel |
| Order receipt | in both cases at the base, logged and kept for 1 year (§ 49(4) PBefG) | |
| Return-to-base rule | applies in both cases unless there is a follow-up order | |
Legal framework
Which rules apply to rides without Uber?
The same ones as for platform rides. Germany's Passenger Transport Act (PBefG) does not care where an order comes from. Know these five points before you drive your first corporate client.
- 1. Order received at the base
A Mietwagen may only carry out orders received at the operator's Betriebssitz (registered base) or home. A booking via your website or an email to the business qualifies. A passenger flagging down the driver does not.
§ 49(4) sentence 2 PBefG · statute
- 2. Log it, keep it for 1 year
You record the receipt of every order in your books or electronically, expressly including app-based systems, and keep the record for one year.
§ 49(4) sentence 4 PBefG · statute
- 3. Rückkehrpflicht, upheld by the BGH
After the trip the car returns to the base without delay unless it received a new order from the base beforehand or during the trip. The Federal Court of Justice (BGH) upheld this rule on 3 June 2026.
§ 49(4) sentence 3 PBefG · BGH, I ZR 123/25 · press release (German)
- 4. No confusion with taxis
Accepting, brokering and carrying out orders, keeping cars available and advertising must not be likely to cause confusion with taxi service. For your website: say "Mietwagen mit Fahrer" or chauffeur service, never "Taxi", and no taxi features.
§ 49(4) sentence 5 PBefG · statute
- 5. Minimum fares possible
The licensing authority can set fare rules for Mietwagen, in particular minimum fares. Where they apply, corporate rates may not go below them.
§ 51a(1) PBefG · statute
Chauffeur service
Starting a chauffeur service: what do you need?
Above all, a licence. Carrying passengers with a driver for payment is occasional transport, which German law only allows in listed forms. Mietwagen service is one of them (§ 46(2) PBefG), and it needs a licence (§ 2(1) no. 4 PBefG).
If your cars already run on Uber and Bolt, you hold that licence. A chauffeur service is then not a new company but a new sales channel for the same vehicles.
Launch checklist
- Mietwagen licence under the PBefG
- One base where every order is received
- Electronic, time-stamped order log
- Website and business cards free of taxi wording
- Clear prices, checked against local minimum fares
- Drivers who look after corporate clients and hotel guests well
Airport transfer
Offering airport transfers: how a ride runs by the book
Airport runs suit Mietwagen well: booked ahead, fixed times, often a company invoice. The catch is the way back. Without a follow-up order the car must drive empty to the base. Taking outbound and return legs together, or scheduling a pickup at the airport, avoids empty kilometres.
Waiting at the airport for walk-up passengers is not allowed. The car may only carry out orders that reached your base beforehand.
The ride in five steps
- BookingThe client requests a ride via your website, email or phone.
- Received at the baseThe request is logged with date and time.
- ForwardingDispatch passes the order to a driver.
- RidePickup, transfer, invoice to passenger or company.
- Return or next orderBack to base unless a new order is in.
Corporate ride service
From your first corporate client to regular customers in 4 steps
Regulars rarely come from ads. They come from reliable first rides. Here is how to go about it.
Pick your targets
Three to five groups in your area that ride regularly: hotels, law and consulting firms, event agencies, companies with trade-fair visitors.
Set up a booking channel
Your own booking website, a fixed email address or phone line. Every request reaches the base and is logged there.
Put terms in writing
Agree prices, invoicing and cancellation in writing. Check with your licensing authority whether minimum fares under § 51a PBefG apply.
Look after the account
Keep contacts, ride history and preferences in the CRM, and plan return trips as follow-up orders. That turns a trial client into a regular.
Ride service costs
What is one corporate client worth per month?
It depends on your price and your cost per kilometre. With a direct client you know and control both. The example shows how to work through a framework agreement before you offer it.
Use your real figures: cost per kilometre, driver pay per hour and the empty run back to the base. The software shows exactly these values per vehicle and per driver, after platform fees.
Example
| Hotel, 20 airport rides a month at $65 | $1,300 |
|---|---|
| Costs, 50 km per ride incl. return, $0.33/km | − $330 |
| Driver pay, 20 × 1.25 h at $20 | − $500 |
| Monthly contribution margin | $470 |
How Fahrtanfrage helps
How do you run direct customers and platform rides in one place?
With three modules that work together. Uber Fleet and Bolt Fleet are connected, so direct orders and platform rides sit in the same overview.
Forward requests
Every ride request is logged at the base with a time stamp and forwarded to the right driver, so order receipt is documented the way § 49 PBefG requires.
Your own booking page
A website from templates, hosted on Cloudflare, with a request form for your clients. Free of taxi wording, so nothing gets confused.
Setup
How fast can you start? In about 48 hours.
Add your fleet
Upload vehicles, drivers and your base once.
Connect the platforms
Link Uber Fleet and Bolt Fleet. Ride data then flows in automatically.
Add direct customers
Create your first corporate clients, switch on the booking website, forward requests to drivers.
700+ operators
What does the software cost?
From $5.99 per driver per month. More than 700 Mietwagen and taxi operators use it to run drivers, vehicles, platform data and their Konzession (operating licence) instead of spreadsheets and WhatsApp groups.
- Timesheets: from about 5 hours a week to under 1 hour a month
- Spotted a van that was losing a few hundred a month
- Cash fraud caught by matching dashcam data against drivers' Uber online status
Price
from $5.99 per driver/month
- CRM for direct customers
- Dispatch with time stamp at the base
- Booking website from templates
- Uber and Bolt connection
- 2-day free trial, no credit card
FAQ
Questions about direct customers and chauffeur services
How does a Mietwagen company win direct customers?
Start with customers who need predictable rides on a regular basis: hotels, companies with business travellers, law firms, event agencies and airport transfers. Approach a few target clients in your area, offer one fixed booking channel and a trial ride, and put the terms in writing.
What do I need to start a chauffeur service in Germany?
A licence under the Passenger Transport Act (PBefG). A paid chauffeur service is legally occasional transport with Mietwagen (§ 46 and § 49 PBefG) and requires a licence under § 2(1) no. 4 PBefG. The licensing authority responsible for your base issues it.
Can I offer airport transfers with a Mietwagen?
Yes. Airport transfers are a typical Mietwagen job as long as the order reached your base or home first. Waiting at the airport for walk-up passengers is not allowed, because a Mietwagen may only carry out orders that were received at the business beforehand.
Do direct orders also have to be logged at the base?
Yes. § 49(4) PBefG applies to every order, whether it comes from Uber, Bolt, the phone or your website. You must record its receipt in your books or electronically, an app counts, and keep the record for one year.
Does the Rückkehrpflicht apply after an airport transfer?
Yes. The Rückkehrpflicht (return-to-base rule) means the car must go straight back to the base after the trip unless it received a new order before leaving the base or during the trip. Germany's Federal Court of Justice confirmed this on 3 June 2026 (I ZR 123/25). Plan return trips from the airport as separate orders.
Can I set my own prices for corporate clients?
In principle yes, you agree the price with the client. However, under § 51a PBefG the licensing authority can set minimum fares for Mietwagen, and you may not charge less. Ask your authority what applies in your city before you send an offer.
How much does Fahrtanfrage cost and how fast can I start?
From $5.99 per driver per month. Setup takes about 48 hours: upload vehicles and drivers, connect Uber Fleet and Bolt Fleet, add your direct customers. You can try it free for two days, no credit card needed.
Next step
A free assessment for your fleet
We'll show you how direct customers, dispatch and a booking website fit together with your vehicles.
- We get back to you this week.
- A short call about your fleet, clients and base.
- Setup in about 48 hours.
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