Taximeter

The meter is an electronic device for the detection of fares in taxis based on taxi fares.

Overview

As the inventor of the modern taximeter shall be the German entrepreneur Gustav Friedrich Wilhelm Bruhn ( 1853-1927 ). This fare indicator were mounted on horse-drawn carriages in the early 1880s and measured the wheel revolutions. There are now devices for some car brands that show the fare in the rearview mirror of the vehicle. Often Taxi meters are networked with the entire planning system of the taxi company. In Germany and Austria the growing desire after an automatic receipt creation, replace the filling out forms. For this purpose, specially adapted printers are available that allow the expression of taxi receipts and bills of days at the end of a shift.

Fare calculation

In Germany, it is mandatory that taxis with a visible and illuminated fare indicator ( ie taximeter ) have (§ 28 BOKraft ). From the respective fare is read, which usually consists of a base fee and a price per kilometer. There are also fees for waiting time and additional surcharges may. The tariff is hereby established in Germany by the respective district administration authority in Austria by the Governor.

When the taximeter first the basic charge always appears. The driver can add add a surcharge by pressing a key, such as suitcases or night driving. After starting the kilometer charge will be added and displayed as fare continuously by determining the distance. While waiting times, for example at traffic lights or in a traffic jam, the unit of switches to haul on -time billing. To provide taxi customers exactly calculable prices, has Austria and some cities in Germany such as Berlin and Hamburg since changed the tariff to the effect that the time billing begins only after a certain lifetime. This traffic delays are not calculated, but only desired by the customer, provided they each exceed a certain period of time. Recent studies have revealed, however, that the loss of sales of the taxi drivers are larger by this regulation as adopted in the introduction and leads to competition distortions created by the lack of comparison with tariffs with classical waiting time calculation. At the destination, the meter is stopped, and the total price is payable.

Calibration

Taxi meters are checked in Germany once a year by the Bureau of Standards to demonstrate the correct operation. Is reset by an authorized repairer for a change in the tariff taximeter, subject to a transitional period before having to have the device checked at the Bureau of Standards. If everything is in order, the meter is provided with a calibration mark and the unit is sealed usually by sticking the calibration mark and sticker on the screws. The calibration is valid for one year. The taxi owner is obliged itself in good time to seek the recalibration. The calibration mark has printed a year number. The calibration is valid until 31 December of the year as stated on the calibration mark. After expiry of the verification of a taximeter must not be put into use. A violation of these provisions is a misdemeanor.

Origin

The taximeter similar devices for fare calculation, there was already in antiquity. The origin is uncertain, sources to be missing so far. The machine he developed dropped by striking a gear structure after a certain distance a ball into a vessel, the number of balls showed the distance and thus the fare.

For a long time then drove cabs and then the taxis with uniform taxi meters, now there are a number of brands that are approved and accepted by the market.

Seat contacts

To prevent drives are not recognized properly, taximeter can be partially combined with seat contacts. Register these contacts when a passenger sits on the seat and automatically start the taximeter. Another variant of these contacts are light barriers in the doors or the center console. These contacts can be used instead of activating the taximeter also for logging of unrecognized by taximeter rides.

Requirements of the tax authorities ( Germany )

According to the European Measuring Instruments Directive 2004/22/EC and Annex MI -007 is regulated for the first time that the meter has to meet the requirements so that the interests of the tax authorities to be protected. According to § 145 paragraph 1 sentence 2 AO, the transactions must (in this case motion tasks ) follow in their creation and execution can (single recording obligation).

The "normal" driving a taxi order is subject to the reduced sales tax rate when the travel takes place within a community or if the transport route not exceed 50 kilometers ( § 12 para 2 No. 10 UStG). For testing whether the approach of the reduced rate is applicable occurs, the data of each motion task should be kept. The letter from the Federal Ministry of Finance dated 26 November 2010 calls for the storage of various tax-relevant data in the meter. Of these requirements business owners are not concerned with car hire vehicles because of their vehicles, the use of a taximeter is not mandatory.

It first technical measures are already being implemented, should make the manipulation of sales figures impossible. In Hamburg taxis for the use of INSIKA system already be converted. In Berlin run the necessary preparations. For modified taximeter is partly the term " Fiskaltaxameter " used.

Situation in other countries

In other countries such as France or Spain, the fares are often the condition of the vehicle and the company policy of local companies as well as their national provisions dependent. In some European countries, even the use of receipt printers is mandatory. This trend is growing internationally. Meanwhile, the introduction of Fiskaltaxametern is increasingly discussed.