Braunschweig remains consistent: Parent taxis are banned in front of schools!

Braunschweig remains consistent: Parent taxis are banned in front of schools!

The ban on so-called “parent taxis” in front of the Altmühlstrasse elementary school in Braunschweig remains in effect. The Weststadt district council made this decision on August 30, 2025 in order to continue to ensure the safety of the students. As ndr.de reports, the “Schulstrasse” pilot project was not only extended, but also evaluated positively throughout. Particular attention was paid to the expression of opinions by students, parents and teachers.

The main goal of the ban is clear: reducing the number of “parent taxis” in front of schools should not only improve traffic flow, but also increase the safety of young people on the way to school. The pilot project included a temporary entry ban for cars on Altmühlstrasse, which applied half an hour before the start of school from the end of the Easter holidays until the summer holidays.

Sustainable solutions for safe routes to school

The conversion to pick-up and drop-off zones near the school represents a further step towards avoiding dangerous traffic situations. Parents often have difficulty organizing their children's journey to school on their own. Around one in six children in Germany said they were taken to school by car, while a Forsa survey showed that 23% of parents also rely on the car. Deutschlandfunk points out that the reasons for this are varied: lack of time, the location of the school on the way to work and poor access to public transport are among the most common arguments from parents.

However, the current challenges in this area cannot only be observed locally. New measures to combat traffic chaos in front of schools are also having an impact in federal states such as Baden-Württemberg. Tagesschau reports on a new decree from the Ministry of Transport that aims to reduce “parent taxis” and establish school streets or school zones that are safer. Last year, 378 children and young people suffered injuries on the way to school, a circumstance that needs to be looked at more closely.

A look at the future

The trend in many cities is towards more school streets. In Cologne, for example, a project that is testing “School Street” in several schools is being tested until the Easter holidays. other cities such as Frankfurt am Main are already showing positive results, with the number of “parent taxis” noticeably decreasing. These Swiss prevention measures can also serve as a model for Braunschweig and should be pursued further.

Nowadays it is essential to increase road safety for children and promote their independence on the road. Traffic experts repeatedly emphasize that children get to school safer if they walk. It is therefore important that both parents and schools work together to find ways to support this aspect.

In summary, the measures in Braunschweig and other cities aim to have a good hand in improving safety for the youngest road users. A clear path forward could be closer collaboration between schools, parents and the city administration to jointly achieve the goal of a safe school environment.