Frankfurt/Main (dpa/lhe) – Several dozen customs officers checked taxis and vehicles from driving services that can be booked via apps at Frankfurt Airport on Saturday. The operation was part of a nationwide campaign by customs officials to control illegal work in the taxi and rental car industry.

For customs, the purpose of the check was to determine whether the companies were complying with social security obligations or whether drivers illegally received social benefits but actually had a job as a driver. It was also checked whether companies employed people without work permits. When evaluating the documents, compliance with the statutory minimum wage should also be checked, according to a customs spokeswoman. The evaluation of the control will probably not be available until the middle of next week.

The customs officers in the Main metropolis were supported by the city police and the security police at Frankfurt Airport, as well as by officials from the Hessian Weights and Measures Office, who checked the odometer and taximeter in particular.

Similar reviews in the past found, for example, that employers count waiting for new passengers as a break and not as working time. This is likely to lead to distortions in wages.

The fact that the control took place at the airport was due to the high number of taxis at Germany’s largest commercial airport, it said. The customs operations manager assured that nobody would have a flight breakdown because of the control: only vehicles that had already dropped off their passengers at the terminal building were waved out.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:220924-99-882122/3