Finding a taxi in southern Luxembourg is not always as straightforward as in the capital. Competing with Uber and WebTaxi, a newly launched platform - called TRIPO - hopes to fill that gap by offering lower fees for transport professionals and a more personal service.
“The human presence is very important in this market,” said founder Wissem Neifer.
Neifer grew tired of struggling to find a taxi in Belvaux. Despite the availability of several booking services in Luxembourg, he said he regularly had difficulty finding a driver near his home. That experience gave him the idea for his own platform.
Since July 2026, TRIPO has connected customers with transport professionals, focusing particularly on the south. According to Neifer, existing platforms concentrate on Luxembourg City and the airport, leaving southern municipalities less well served. He said some drivers were also reluctant to work in the region because they believed demand was insufficient.
His ambition is not to create another taxi company, but to organise existing services more effectively. The idea began taking shape around three years ago during a conversation with a friend who works in IT. Although Neifer has no formal IT training, he assembled a team to develop the service.
A human presence behind the app
Customers can book through a mobile app, a website or WhatsApp, with someone responsible for responding to requests and finding an available driver. This approach is intended to make booking easier for people who are less comfortable using apps and provide a direct point of contact if problems arise.
Neifer said he spoke to several drivers before launching the service. Some expressed dissatisfaction with platforms’ commissions and reported difficulties getting assistance after incidents involving passengers, he said. Their accounts helped shape the project.
TRIPO is starting with limited resources. In early October, it had six partner taxi companies - four in the south and two in Luxembourg City - as well as four independent drivers. According to Neifer, 13 drivers were registered in total, leaving a small network from which to provide consistent availability.
In early October, the platform had six partner taxi companies. © Photo credit: Screenshot TRIPO
Neifer prefers to expand in stages, recruiting more drivers before ramping up marketing efforts to customers
The strategy addresses a familiar problem for booking platforms: customers will not return if they cannot find a vehicle, while drivers will not stay if bookings are too scarce.
A subscription or commission
To attract transport professionals, TRIPO offers two options: a fixed monthly subscription or commission on rides booked through the platform. The subscription costs €200 per month per driver, with no additional commission on journeys.
“If he makes €1,000, it is his [the driver’s]. If he makes €2,000, it is his,” said Neifer. The commission rate under the alternative option is not specified.
A driver receiving regular bookings may benefit from paying a fixed amount, while someone taking bookings only occasionally may prefer commission linked to revenue. To recruit its first partners, the platform offers a three-month free trial, after which each partner can choose an option.
The approach is aimed particularly at drivers who consider existing intermediaries’ commissions too high. It does not necessarily mean cheaper rides for passengers, since fares also depend on the transport companies.
TRIPO wants to work with both taxi companies and chauffeur-driven hire car operators, known as VLC operators. Neifer said he checks partners’ professional documents before registration, including their authorisation to operate.
The team is currently operating with limited resources. Neifer works with his brother and several other collaborators, who help develop the platform on a voluntary basis.
Neifer estimates that the business will need at least 50 partner drivers to start becoming profitable - nearly four times the number reported in early October. He hopes to achieve full profitability within one to two years.
A changing market
TRIPO faces established competition. WebTaxi has a strong presence in Luxembourg, while Uber entered the market in June 2024 through a partnership with that company. Other booking services, including taxi.eu, are also available. TRIPO will have to demonstrate that it meets an underserved need.
Neifer believes the south offers an opportunity. Based on his conversations with drivers, some regard the region as less attractive than the capital or the airport. He thinks making demand more visible could encourage them to accept more rides there.
But while an app can make booking easier, it does not guarantee that a driver is nearby or willing to accept a journey offering little financial return. For residents in the south, improvements will depend above all on how many transport professionals TRIPO can attract.
The regulatory framework is also set to change. A spokesperson for Luxembourg’s transport ministry told Virgule that current legislation does not require specific approval to operate a digital booking platform. The requirements mainly apply to the professionals providing transport, notably taxi operating licences and driver cards.
A bill tabled in September 2025 would introduce a requirement for approval from the ministry approval for booking intermediaries, which would have to work only with operators holding valid licences. It also envisages removing the cap on the number of taxi and chauffeur-driven hire car licences from 2030.
One uncertainty concerns cross-border journeys. A spokesperson for the French transport ministry told Virgule that, in the absence of a bilateral agreement between France and Luxembourg, cross-border taxi journeys are not permitted. The precise scope of that restriction for services offered by TRIPO remains to be clarified.
For Neifer, the immediate challenge remains commercial: convincing drivers that his platform can bring them enough customers, then convincing customers that they will be able to find a vehicle.
After a few months in operation, TRIPO has yet to demonstrate that it can deliver lasting improvements to taxi services in southern Luxembourg. Its development will show whether the difficulties experienced by its founder reflect a need substantial enough to support a new market entrant.
(This article was originally published by Virgule, translated using AI and edited by Kate Oglesby.)