€2,250
Equity, first vehicleEach additional vehicle needs another €1,250. A 12-car fleet therefore needs €2,250 + 11 × €1,250 = €16,000. The equity certificate may be no older than twelve months.
Stuttgart · Heidelberg · Baden-Württemberg
Running a Mietwagen company in Stuttgart or Heidelberg: secure the licence, know the minimum fare
A Mietwagen (private hire) company in Stuttgart needs a licence from the city's Office for Public Order. Licences are not capped; you prove reliability, competence and €2,250 equity for the first car. It lasts five years at most. In Heidelberg, fares may be at most 7.5% below the taxi tariff since 1 August 2025.
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How do you get a Mietwagen licence in Stuttgart?
You apply to the Führerscheinstelle (driving licence office) within the Amt für öffentliche Ordnung, Löwentorbogen 11, 70376 Stuttgart, either online through service-bw or using the city's form. The city then consults local authorities, the trade inspectorate, the IHK (chamber of commerce), unions and trade associations before deciding in writing.
One worry many founders have does not apply in Stuttgart: according to the city, the number of Mietwagen licences is not capped. What counts is a complete, solid application.
Source: stuttgart.de – Mietwagengenehmigung beantragen (German)
Five steps to a Stuttgart Mietwagen licence
Check the requirements
Reliability, professional competence, financial capacity and a registered base in Germany.
Collect the documents
Register and company papers, clearance certificates, proof of equity, IHK competence.
File the application
Online via service-bw (service account) or on paper with the licence office.
Consultation
Comments from the IHK, trade inspectorate and associations, then a written decision.
Keep it valid
Five years at most, plus the return-to-base rule and order records day to day.
What documents and how much equity does a Mietwagen company need?
Every application in Stuttgart and Heidelberg rests on three proofs: reliability, financial capacity and professional competence. The lists are almost identical in both cities.
3
Months maximumThe age limit for clearance certificates from the tax office, municipality, social insurance and BG Verkehr (the transport trade's accident insurer), and for the reliability documents.
5
Years maximum termThen you apply for renewal. The limit comes from § 16(4) PBefG, Germany's Passenger Transport Act.
Document checklist (extract)
- Commercial register extract, articles of association, list of shareholders, proof of authority to represent
- Certificate of good conduct, trade register (Gewerbezentralregister) and driving record (Verkehrszentralregister) extracts
- Clearance certificates: tax office, municipality, social insurance, BG Verkehr
- Equity certificate, plus a supplementary certificate where needed
- IHK competence exam, IHK certificate of at least three years in a management role at a Mietwagen company, or an equivalent qualification
- For appointed managing directors: the same proofs plus the employment contract
Sources: stuttgart.de · heidelberg.de (service-bw) · § 16 PBefG
Stuttgart vs. Heidelberg: what are the rules for Mietwagen?
In short: the licence is almost the same in both cities. The big difference is pricing. Heidelberg has a minimum fare; in Stuttgart, according to the city, the fare is freely agreed.
| Topic | Stuttgart | Heidelberg |
|---|---|---|
| Authority | Führerscheinstelle, Amt für öffentliche Ordnung, Löwentorbogen 11 | City trade licensing department (Bürger- und Ordnungsamt) |
| Cap on licences | None | Not stated on the service page |
| Equity | €2,250 first, €1,250 each further vehicle | €2,250 first, €1,250 each further vehicle |
| Fee | Not stated on the service page | Standard €60 first, €30 each further vehicle (range €50–500) |
| Fare | Freely agreed, calculated with a distance meter | Since 1 Aug 2025 no more than 7.5% below the taxi tariff |
| Licence term | 5 years maximum | 5 years maximum |
| Equipment | Distance meter, alarm system; advertising allowed on all body panels | Distance meter, alarm system; advertising allowed on all body panels |
Sources: stuttgart.de · heidelberg.de procedure description · heidelberg.de taxi and Mietwagen (all German)
What does Heidelberg's minimum fare mean for Mietwagen?
Since 1 August 2025, a Mietwagen in Heidelberg may charge at most 7.5% less than a taxi on the same route. The city set this through an Allgemeinverfügung (a general administrative order) on minimum fares, which applies to trips within Heidelberg.
The city explains why: since 2023, applications and licences for Mietwagen had risen sharply, mostly linked to Uber, and those rides cost around 35% less than a taxi. When the rule took effect, Heidelberg had 162 taxi licences and 196 Mietwagen, 95 of them organised via Uber. At the same time taxi tariffs rose by 7%, and taxis gained a tariff corridor allowing fixed prices for app bookings.
The legal basis is § 51a PBefG: the licensing authority may set minimum fares for Mietwagen, and once set, they may not be undercut.
Sources: City of Heidelberg press release, 1 Aug 2025 · § 51a PBefG
Example
What's left of a Heidelberg trip after commission?
| Taxi tariff for the route (fictional) | €20.00 |
| Mietwagen minimum fare (−7.5%) | €18.50 |
| Assumed platform commission 25% | −€4.63 |
| Left before driver and car costs | €13.87 |
Fictional example with an assumed commission rate, not any platform's actual rate. If your cars work both Stuttgart and Heidelberg, only net per car tells you whether the Heidelberg trips pay off.
Uber in Stuttgart: is it banned for Mietwagen?
No. Licensed Mietwagen may take orders through apps: § 49(4) PBefG requires order receipt to be recorded "in a book or electronically (including by means of an app-based system)" and kept for one year. But each order must reach the company's base, and after the trip the car must return to base without delay unless it received a new order before or during the trip. This is the Rückkehrpflicht, the return-to-base rule.
The City of Stuttgart spells out the same rules: Mietwagen may not wait for passengers on public streets and must return to base after every trip.
Sources: § 49 PBefG · stuttgart.de
In short: what the Federal Court of Justice ruled in June 2026
On 3 June 2026 (case I ZR 123/25), the Bundesgerichtshof upheld the return-to-base rule. A subcontractor's car had waited at least twelve minutes on a square in Cologne after an Uber X trip. The court held the company running the trips through subcontractors liable under § 8(2) of the Unfair Competition Act (UWG). If you work with subcontractors, their violations are your risk too.
BGH press release no. 100/2026 (German)
How Neckarflotte brings licence, return-to-base and revenue together
Instead of Uber Fleet, Bolt Fleet, a deadline spreadsheet and a WhatsApp group: one dashboard for your fleet in Stuttgart, Heidelberg or anywhere in the region.
Licence and vehicle deadlines
Konzession term, roadworthiness test (HU), insurance and drivers' passenger permits with expiry dates. You're warned before a car is grounded or a renewal comes too late.
Return-to-base monitored
Trips with no return to base and no follow-up order are flagged, including cars run by subcontractors.
Net per car after commission
Uber and Bolt trips in one view, with revenue and net after platform commission per car and driver – what matters where a minimum fare applies.
Orders forwarded to drivers
Ride requests and direct-customer orders arrive centrally and are forwarded to your drivers. Every order is recorded.
S-NF 104 · Stuttgart212 trips · net after commission€3,840
HD-NF 22 · Heidelberg168 trips · minimum fare active€2,910
S-NF 311 · HU testdue 19 Nov 202623 days
HD-NF 22 · Return14:32 no follow-up order, 18 min waitingCheck
Konzession · 14 vehiclesvalid until 31 Mar 2029Valid
How quickly is it set up?
In about 48 hours. From then on you see revenue per driver and per car, cost per kilometre and every upcoming deadline.
Upload cars and drivers
Including expiry dates for Konzession, HU, insurance and passenger permits.
Connect Uber Fleet and Bolt Fleet
Trips and revenue then flow in automatically.
Use the dashboard
Net per car, return-to-base flags and deadline warnings in one place.
Used by more than 700 Mietwagen and taxi companies
- Timesheets: from about 5 hours a week to under 1 hour a month.
- A van losing a few hundred euros every month only showed up once profit was analysed per vehicle.
- Cash fraud uncovered by matching dashcam data against drivers' Uber online status.
Pricing
from $5.99 per driver/month
- Deadlines for Konzession, HU, insurance, permits
- Return-to-base monitoring
- Uber and Bolt trips, net per car
- 2-day free trial, no credit card
FAQ for Mietwagen companies in Stuttgart and Heidelberg
Where do I apply for a Mietwagen licence in Stuttgart?
At the Führerscheinstelle (driving licence office) of the Amt für öffentliche Ordnung, Löwentorbogen 11, 70376 Stuttgart. You can apply online through the Baden-Württemberg service portal (service-bw) with a service account, or with the city's form. Before deciding, the city consults bodies such as the IHK and trade associations.
What documents does a Mietwagen company in Stuttgart need?
Proof of reliability, financial capacity and professional competence. That covers register and company documents, clearance certificates from the tax office, municipality, social insurance and BG Verkehr, proof of equity of 2,250 euros for the first vehicle and 1,250 euros for each additional one, and the IHK competence certificate. Certificates may be at most three months old, the equity certificate at most twelve months.
Is there a cap on Mietwagen licences in Stuttgart?
No. According to the City of Stuttgart's service description, the number of Mietwagen licences is not limited. Every application that meets the requirements is decided after the consultation procedure.
What is the minimum fare for Mietwagen in Heidelberg?
Since 1 August 2025, Mietwagen fares in Heidelberg may be at most 7.5 percent below the taxi tariff. The city set this in a general order (Allgemeinverfügung) on minimum fares for trips within Heidelberg. The legal basis is § 51a PBefG, under which a minimum fare that has been set may not be undercut.
Is Uber banned in Stuttgart?
No. Licensed Mietwagen may receive orders through apps; § 49(4) PBefG explicitly allows orders to be recorded via app-based systems. Every order must still reach the company's base, and after the trip the car must return to base without delay unless it already has a new order.
How long is a Mietwagen licence valid?
Five years at most. § 16(4) PBefG sets this limit for occasional passenger transport by car, and both Stuttgart and Heidelberg point it out. After that you apply for a renewal with up-to-date documents.
How much does a Mietwagen licence cost?
Heidelberg charges within a range of 50 to 500 euros; the standard fee is 60 euros for the first and 30 euros for each additional vehicle, plus the cost of register extracts. The City of Stuttgart does not state a fee on its service page, so ask the office before applying.
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