Which taximeter / installer to choose for a rank taxi in Flanders?

You operate a rank taxi in Flanders and are looking for a taximeter, an installer or a solution to send your trips to Chiron ?

Several options exist on the Belgian market : classic taximeter, mirror taximeter, full on-board computer or a combination of your existing taximeter with an application such as TaxiGer.

Here are the main players we could identify in Flanders and the differences to know before choosing.

First : the taximeter is not mandatory for all Flemish taxis

Two situations must be distinguished.

For a street taxi (straattaxi), the taximeter is not systematically mandatory. The regulations allow another device or software that meets the regulatory obligations.

For a rank taxi (standplaatstaxi), it is different : the vehicle must have a compliant taximeter.

Article 43 of the Flemish Government decree of 9 June 2023 requires a measuring instrument for rank taxis that complies with the rules applicable to taximeters.

This article is therefore aimed mainly at rank taxis.

A taximeter and Chiron are not the same thing

This is probably the most important point to understand.

Your taximeter is mainly used to measure the trip and determine the amount according to the tariff applied.

Chiron, for its part, is the central Flemish trip database.

The Flemish Region states that the operator must ensure that the equipment in each vehicle transmits the required information to Chiron for each trip.

Your taximeter therefore does not necessarily have to be the Chiron connection itself.

You can for example have :

Taximeter → integrated Chiron system

or :

Taximeter → independent application → Chiron

It is this second architecture that notably makes it possible to use TaxiGer alongside an existing taximeter.

1. Taxi Montage Center Antwerpen — TMCA

Taxi Montage Center Antwerpen is a specialised taxi equipment installer based in Antwerp.

TMCA states that it operates notably in Antwerp, Limburg, East Flanders and Flemish Brabant, for individual vehicles as well as fleets.

The company offers several types of equipment :

• taximeters ;
• mirror taximeters ;
• Cabman solutions ;
• printers ;
• payment terminals ;
• complementary taxi equipment.

Among the products presented are notably Cabman BCT, MCT-07 and mirror taximeters.

For which driver ?

TMCA is particularly interesting if you are looking for a workshop able to carry out a complete physical vehicle installation and support you across several pieces of equipment.

Website : TMCA

2. Arwac-Metrotax — Zellik

Arwac-Metrotax is another historic player on the Belgian taximeter market.

Based in Zellik, the company offers several major brands :

• Cabman ;
• A.T.A. ;
• Hale ;
• Semitron.

For the Flemish market, Arwac-Metrotax presents notably Cabman solutions as well as various A.T.A. models and the Hale MM03.

The main advantage is therefore the choice of hardware.

You are not locked into a single taximeter model and can discuss with the installer the solution best suited to the vehicle and budget.

For which driver ?

A good option for an operator who wants to compare several taximeter brands before deciding.

Website : Arwac-Metrotax

3. IDE Service — Pittem

For West Flanders, IDE Service in Pittem is also a player to know.

The company specialises in several automotive technical fields, including :

• taximeters ;
• tachographs ;
• automotive electronics ;
• GPS and fleet systems.

IDE Service sells notably the Digitax M1 Mirror, a taximeter integrated into the rear-view mirror, as well as Digitax printers.

IDE is also among the Belgian partners currently listed by Cabman for installation and support of its equipment.

For which driver ?

IDE can be particularly interesting for an operator in West Flanders who wants to work with an automotive technical workshop that is not limited to the taximeter alone.

Website : IDE Service

4. Taxichip — Antwerp

Taxichip takes a different approach with a positioning strongly focused on price and simplicity.

The company currently announces an installation including a mirror taximeter and fitting for 999 €, together with an announced cost of 10 € per month.

Taxichip also states that it offers :

• a Chiron connection ;
• a mobile application ;
• a wireless printer ;
• a mirror taximeter ;
• installation in the vehicle.

Naturally, prices, conditions and equipment can change. It is therefore preferable to request an updated quote before choosing.

For which driver ?

Taxichip mainly targets drivers looking for a relatively simple installation with a clearly communicated entry price.

Website : Taxichip

5. Cabman : a more integrated solution

Cabman should be considered slightly differently from the previous installers.

It is a taxi system supplier with a network of installation partners.

In Belgium, Cabman currently lists three partners :

• TMCA in Antwerp ;
• IDE Service in Pittem ;
• Arwac-Metrotax in Zellik.

With Cabman GO Chiron, the idea is to group several functions in one environment :

• on-board computer ;
• integrated taximeter ;
• Chiron transmission ;
• trip data ;
• history ;
• updates ;
• possibility to connect a printer and a payment terminal.

Cabman is therefore more of an integrated solution than a simple taximeter.

For which driver ?

This approach can be interesting for an operator who wants to replace a large part of their equipment and work within a single ecosystem.

Website : Cabman Belgium

And if your taximeter already works very well ?

This is where the situation becomes interesting.

A rank taxi may already have :

• a compliant taximeter ;
• a printer ;
• a payment system ;
• an installation the driver is used to working with.

In that case, replacing all the hardware only for Chiron is not necessarily the only solution.

It is also possible to keep the taximeter and add a software layer to manage trips and transmission to Chiron.

That is precisely one of the possible uses of TaxiGer.

TaxiGer : keep your taximeter and add Chiron

TaxiGer does not seek to replace the mandatory taximeter of a rank taxi.

The taximeter stays in the vehicle.

TaxiGer sits alongside it :

Your current taximeter + TaxiGer + Chiron

The benefit is particularly important for operators who today work with several trip sources.

A driver can for example carry out in the same day :

• a trip taken at the rank ;
• a phone booking ;
• a trip for a regular customer ;
• an Uber trip ;
• a Bolt trip ;
• a Heetch trip ;
• a trip received directly via WhatsApp.

The taxi trade is becoming increasingly hybrid.

Send a trip to Chiron in a few clicks

TaxiGer works as an application.

When a trip must be recorded directly by the driver, they can send it to Chiron in a few actions, without having to navigate a complex on-board computer.

The goal is simple :

open the app → record the trip → start.

TaxiGer then handles the necessary transmission to Chiron.

No need to replace your taximeter

That is probably its main advantage for an already equipped rank taxi.

You can keep :

• your Hale ;
• your A.T.A. ;
• your Digitax ;
• your Cabman ;
• or another compliant taximeter.

TaxiGer can be used as a complement.

That notably makes it possible to separate two needs :

Taximeter → regulatory tariff calculation

TaxiGer → trip management, data and Chiron

No need to reconfigure all your tariffs in a new machine

When a driver uses TaxiGer only as a Chiron complement, the goal is not to ask them to reproduce the entire taximeter configuration in the app.

Their taximeter continues to fulfil its role.

TaxiGer focuses on handling the trip and transmitting it.

That greatly reduces the learning curve for a driver already used to their hardware.

An application that follows the driver

Physically installed equipment is generally tied to the vehicle.

An application works differently.

Driver and company information is centralised in TaxiGer.

When a driver changes vehicle within the fleet, they do not need to relearn a new administrative system for each car : their software environment can follow them.

That is particularly interesting for companies with several vehicles and several drivers.

And Uber, Bolt or Heetch trips ?

Some platforms may handle regulatory transmissions within their own flows.

But for the operator, the essential point remains this : the Flemish Region places on the operator the obligation to ensure that the required data for each trip are sent to Chiron.

So distinguish :

« The platform provides a Chiron integration »

and

« I can verify and control the transmission of my different trips ».

As soon as an operator works with several platforms, direct customers, phone bookings or trips taken at the rank, having their own management tool reduces dependence on several different systems.

TaxiGer notably makes it possible to centralise own trips, Uber/Bolt and Chiron transmissions in one environment, with a history of declarations.

Which solution to choose ?

There is not one single right configuration for all taxis.

You are starting as a rank taxi with no equipment

An integrated solution such as a Cabman system or a complete installation with a specialist such as TMCA, Arwac-Metrotax, IDE Service or Taxichip can make sense.

Your current taximeter works very well

Replacing it only to get another Chiron solution may be unnecessary.

You can look at an architecture :

Existing taximeter + TaxiGer

You use several platforms in addition to your rank

An independent layer such as TaxiGer becomes particularly interesting because your data are no longer organised only around a single trip supplier.

You manage several drivers or several vehicles

A system centralised by company and driver can also simplify vehicle changes and administrative follow-up.

Summary table

Solution	Taximeter	Physical installation	Chiron	App / software	Can complement an existing taximeter
TMCA	Yes	Yes	Depends on chosen solution	Depends on hardware	Yes
Arwac-Metrotax	Yes	Yes	Depends on chosen solution	Depends on hardware	Yes
IDE Service	Yes	Yes	Depends on chosen solution	Depends on hardware	Yes
Taxichip	Yes	Yes	Yes, announced	Yes	Integrated solution
Cabman	Yes, integrated	Via partners	Yes	Yes	Depends on configuration
TaxiGer	No	No	Yes	Application	Yes — that is precisely its value

Conclusion

For a Flemish rank taxi, the taximeter remains an essential piece of regulatory equipment.

But that does not mean the taximeter must become the centre of all your digital activity.

In 2026, a driver can work simultaneously with a rank, their own customers and several platforms.

The challenge then becomes having a system able to centralise and simply transmit trips, whatever their origin.

Traditional installers remain indispensable to supply, install and maintain the taximeter.

TaxiGer operates at another level : it lets you keep that equipment while adding a mobile layer for trip management and Chiron.

For many already equipped taxis, the best modernisation may therefore not be to replace everything.

It may simply consist in keeping the taximeter and adding the right application.

Sources

• Flemish Region — Taxi : types and conditions
• Flemish Codex — Flemish Government decree of 9 June 2023 (notably article 43 on rank taxis)
• Flemish Region — Rittendatabank Chiron
• TMCA — taximeters and installations in Flanders
• Arwac-Metrotax — taximeter offering in Flanders
• IDE Service — taximeters and Digitax M1 Mirror
• Taxichip — taximeter, app and Chiron integration
• Cabman Belgium — solutions and Belgian installation partners