Mietwagen mit Fahrer: the pre-booked executive car

Single executives, speakers and VIP guests usually travel by car with driver. In Germany this is a Mietwagen under the Personenbeförderungsgesetz, with rules that shape how the booking works.

Booked ahead, by law

A Mietwagen may carry out only bookings received at the operator's premises or home, so it cannot be flagged down in the street like a taxi. Each booking is logged by the operator and the log kept for twelve months. For an airport pickup, put the flight number and the passenger's name in the booking.

Nothing about how it is booked, kept ready or advertised may be confusable with a taxi, and it carries no taxi signs. You, as hirer, decide where it goes and why.

Seats and luggage

Seats: 1-3 (up to 8 passengers in a van-type car)
Luggage: Boot space; choose a larger vehicle for more passengers or luggage

After the drop-off

Once the job is done, the car returns to its operator's base without delay, unless a new booking came in before or during the trip. Where a district covers a wide area, the authority can approve other waiting locations, no closer than 15 km to the main base. For a day of meetings, book the car with waiting time rather than a chain of single legs.

Size and driver

The usual car takes one to three passengers, a van-type car up to eight. More people or bulky luggage means a larger vehicle, which then counts as a bus. The driver holds a passenger-transport permit, issued for up to five years.

Planner questions

Can the car collect a guest who calls on the day?

Only as a new booking through the operator; it cannot be hailed. Give your on-site contact the authority to add runs.

Where does the car wait at the airport?

Where the airport's parking rules allow. The pickup is booked with the flight details, so the timing can follow the actual landing.

Is it the same as a taxi?

No. Taxis are a separate regime; a Mietwagen works only on bookings placed in advance.

Can one car meet several executives on different flights?

Only if they land close together. Otherwise book one car per arrival, or a Sprinter-style minibus when they share a flight.