A new Brussels taxi platform promises drivers a bigger share of the fare
A newly launched taxi app in Brussels says it will pay drivers more of each fare than the dominant ride-hailing platforms — a promise that lands on a sector still bruised from years of dispute, and that Belgium will ultimately have to judge against new EU…
In 30 seconds
- VRT NWS and Bruzz reported on 9 August 2026 that a new taxi platform launched in Brussels promising drivers better pay than the dominant apps.
- The service markets itself against the commission model used by incumbents such as Uber, Bolt and Heetch, though its exact commission and backers were not independently confirmed.
- Brussels reformed its taxi sector via a 2022 ordinance under then mobility minister Elke Van den Brandt, merging taxi and chauffeur-driven categories.
- The EU's 2024 Platform Work Directive, which Belgium must transpose, targets bogus self-employment and algorithmic pay transparency.
A new taxi-dispatch platform has begun operating in the Brussels-Capital Region, marketing itself on the promise that drivers will retain a larger share of each fare than they do on established ride-hailing apps such as Uber, Bolt and Heetch. The launch was reported by VRT NWS and Bruzz on 9 August 2026. It arrives after the region's 2022 taxi ordinance, driven by then mobility minister Elke Van den Brandt, and against the backdrop of the EU's 2024 Platform Work Directive, which Belgium must transpose.
Background
Brussels spent much of the 2010s locked in a 'taxi war' between traditional licence-holders and app-based drivers, chiefly through Uber. Legal challenges culminated in a 2021 court decision that briefly pushed Uber's licensed drivers off the road, prompting protests. The region's response was a new taxi ordinance from 2022, associated with mobility minister Elke Van den Brandt, merging the old taxi and chauffeur-driven-vehicle categories into one regulated framework.
What to do
Drivers may gain an alternative dispatch option with a potentially larger fare share, though availability and demand will determine real earnings; passengers could see new pricing or service choices, but should expect the incumbents to remain dominant in the near term.
Impact
Regional — The launch is squarely a Brussels-Capital Region story: it affects licensed drivers across the 19 communes, the incumbent platforms operating locally, and a regional administration whose taxi policy has been in limbo during a prolonged government-formation impasse.
EvidenceWell established · 1 primary source + 1 official document + 1 independent reporting sourceExplore evidence →Hide evidence ↑
- Published:
- 9 Aug 2026, 02:00
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- 9 Aug 2026
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- 9 Aug 2026, 02:00
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- 9 Aug 2026
- Published:
- 11 Nov 2024, 01:00
- Retrieved by ODIN:
- 9 Aug 2026
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