Shadow economy in the rental car: Brandenburg raises the alarm!

Shadow economy in the rental car: Brandenburg raises the alarm!

Rüdersdorf, Deutschland - The situation in the rental car sector in Brandenburg is becoming increasingly worrying. According to current reports, a drastic increase in new registrations of cars that are used for taxi -like trips via digital platforms can be recorded. This leads to an alerting of the Landkreisstag Brandenburg , which asks the state government to quick and effective strategy against the growing shadow economy.

The Brandenburg authorities have found that around 800 new rental car registrations were registered in the counties on the city limits of Berlin. This increase is regarded as part of a larger trend, as many rental car companies try to escape the stricter controls in Berlin. In 2024, the Berlin State Office for Citizens' and Ordinary Matters (Labo) blocked over 2,000 rental cars due to violations of the Passenger Transport Act. Many of these vehicles belonged to platforms such as Uber, Bolt and Bliq, and the Labo reported on a "migration" of rental car companies to Brandenburg.

urgency of the situation

In a letter to State Secretary Ina Bartmann on May 22, 2025, the situation is described as serious and worrying. In Brandenburg, the number of newly licensed vehicles was increased by 800 to over 2,600. Especially in counties such as Barnim, Dahme-Spree and Teltow-Fläming, there was almost a doubling of the rental cars, which raises political noise. Tino Schopf, spokesman for traffic policy of the SPD in the Berlin House of Representatives, warns of a system of exploitation and fraud.

A further increase in applications for admission of vehicles report the counties. In one case, 11 applications for around 300 vehicles were submitted, while in another district weekly growth of up to 85 applications are recorded. There is a fear that illegal companies will also act under these new registrations, which means that additional measures for surveillance and control are urgently required.

suggestions for combating the shadow economy

In order to counteract the herk situation, the district council calls for a joint working group consisting of approval authorities, police, customs and tax offices. One proposal is the creation of a common database between Berlin and Brandenburg to record persons and companies with withdrawn concession law. Politicians such as Tino Schopf also support this initiative and also call for a register for illegal companies to better act against tax evasion and social service fraud.

The Infrastructure Ministry of Brandenburg plans to discuss with the counties and the Labo to initiate further steps to combat illegal structures. The current exchange between Berlin and Brandenburg is considered inadequate, which requires increased cooperation. While the Labo offers its support for applications and approvals, there are also demands for a legal basis for binding data comparisons between the authorities to ensure sustainability and legal certainty in the rental car industry.

The problem is complex and numerous actors are required to combat the illegal practices in the rental car industry. This applies not only to protect the market, but also to comply with legal standards for the benefit of all road users.