Initial Drive · Taxi licence (BPT 121)
Taxi licence BPT 121 in Lucerne: prepare in English
To get code 121 on your driving licence, you need to show more than in a regular driving test: smooth, confident driving. I prepare you for the practical BPT exam in English – in a Toyota GR86, starting near Lucerne station.
- On your licence 121 code for professional passenger transport
- Exam day CHF 180 one double lesson – no flat fee
- Theory tests DE · FR · IT in Lucerne – no English
In Switzerland, the taxi licence is officially a permit for professional passenger transport (BPT, berufsmässiger Personentransport), shown as code 121 on your driving licence. With it, you prove that you can carry passengers safely, even in difficult traffic situations.
I’m Patrik Stadelmann. I’ve been a driving instructor since 2018, I hold the Swiss federal diploma for driving instructors, and I’ve run my own driving school, Initial Drive, since 2024. In our lessons, we train what the practical exam is about: driving smoothly, looking ahead and staying safe when traffic gets busy.
Source (in German): Lucerne office: admission
Requirements for code 121
Before you take the BPT exams, you must meet these requirements:
- You have regularly driven a category B vehicle (or a higher category) for one year with a clean record. Learner drives don’t count, and this year of driving must fall within the last two years.
- You meet the medical requirements of the second medical group; this is checked in a medical examination.
- You don’t need a provisional licence.
Once you have code 121, the Traffic Licensing Ordinance (VZV) requires regular medical check-ups: every five years, every three years from the age of 50 and every two years from 75.
- until 50 medical check-up every five years
- from 50 every three years
- from 75 every two years
Sources (in German): Lucerne office: admissionLucerne office: BPT 122 fact sheet (PDF)VZV
Two exams: additional theory and practical test
For code 121, you take two additional exams (Art. 25 para. 3 of the Traffic Licensing Ordinance, VZV).
| Additional theory test | Practical test | |
|---|---|---|
| Content | working hours and rest periods for professional drivers of light passenger vehicles | a drive with an examiner from the office |
| Length | 30 questions | 60 minutes, Monday to Friday in Kriens |
| Required | no more than 3 mistakes | smooth, confident driving that clearly exceeds the minimum standard (Annex 12 VZV) |
Additional theory test: which language?
Theory tests in Lucerne are offered in German, French and Italian only. So in Lucerne, you take the additional theory test in one of these three languages. If you live in Nidwalden or Obwalden, ask the road traffic office for Obwalden and Nidwalden (VSZ) which languages it offers for this test.
Code 121 or code 122?
Code 122 is limited to school, worker and disability transport, ambulances and vehicles that by design can’t go faster than 30 km/h; it doesn’t require the additional theory test. If you want to carry passengers professionally beyond that, you need code 121. If in doubt, check with your employer or the office which code your work requires.
Sources (in German): VZVLucerne office: admissionLucerne office: theory testLucerne office: practical testLucerne office: BPT 122 fact sheet (PDF)Lucerne fee ordinance (SRL 778)
What we practise
Lessons are tailored to your level. Typical focus areas:
- Anticipatory driving in dense city traffic in Lucerne and Kriens
- Pulling away, braking and changing lanes smoothly – without jolts
- Stopping safely and rejoining traffic
- Motorway driving: joining and leaving the motorway around Lucerne
- A mock exam before you register
After every lesson, your training card – a Google Sheet on your phone – shows what we’ve covered and what’s still missing. How many lessons you need depends on your experience – after the first double lesson, I’ll give you an honest assessment.
On exam day
On request, you can take the practical exam in my Toyota GR86 – an automatic, fitted as a driving school car with dual pedals and extra mirrors. Providing the car, including preparation and waiting time, is billed as one double lesson (CHF 180) – or two lessons from your pack – with no flat fee. Office fees are paid directly to the office (terms and conditions, section 12, in German).
My GR86 is approved for the BPT exam like any normal car – the Lucerne Road Traffic Office confirmed this when I asked on 1 October 2026. I’m not in the car during the exam. If you negligently damage the car during the exam, you pay up to CHF 500 per incident; in cases of gross negligence or intent, you bear the full cost (terms and conditions, sections 10.6 and 10.4, in German).
Driving on a foreign licence?
If your licence was issued outside the EU and EFTA and you need a permit for professional passenger transport, you must hold a Swiss driving licence before your first professional trip (Art. 42 para. 3bis let. b VZV). If your licence is from an EU or EFTA country, please ask the office what applies to you. How the exchange works is explained on my page about the control drive in Lucerne.
Sources (in German): VZVLucerne office: foreign licence
In English – and the language of the exams
My lessons can be entirely in English. Keep in mind that theory tests in Lucerne – including the additional theory test – are offered in German, French and Italian only. And the practical exam? I prepare you in English; the test itself is conducted by an examiner from the road traffic office – please ask the office which language it’s held in.
You can reach the Lucerne Road Traffic Office on +41 41 318 18 22 and the road traffic office for Obwalden and Nidwalden on +41 41 618 41 41 (Stans), +41 41 666 66 00 (Sarnen) or info@vsz.ch.
Sources (in German): Lucerne office: theory testLucerne office: foreign licenceVSZ: foreign licences
Meeting point near Lucerne station
All lessons start at Sempacherstrasse 14, a few minutes’ walk from Lucerne station – directly reachable by Zentralbahn from Nidwalden and Obwalden. From here, we’re in city traffic within minutes and on our way to Kriens, where the practical exam takes place. Lessons run from Sunday to Friday, 10am to 10pm.
Lucerne station
about a 5-minute walk
Prices
Preparation is charged at my standard lesson prices – no admin fee, no insurance surcharge.
- Single lesson 45 min CHF 95
- Double lesson 90 min CHF 180 CHF 90 per lesson
- 5-lesson pack 5 × 45 min CHF 445 CHF 89 per lesson
- 10-lesson pack 10 × 45 min CHF 870 CHF 87 per lesson
- 20-lesson pack 20 × 45 min CHF 1,680 CHF 84 per lesson
Exam day: one double lesson (CHF 180) or two lessons from your pack, including my car, preparation and waiting time – no flat fee. If you cancel a booked exam date less than 5 working days before or don’t turn up, the reserved lessons are charged at the single-lesson price (terms and conditions, section 12, in German).
All prices are in Swiss francs, with nothing added on top; driving lessons are exempt from VAT. One lesson lasts 45 minutes. Trial and single lessons are paid right after the lesson by TWINT (the Swiss payment app) or in cash, or by bank transfer within 10 days if we’ve agreed on that. Packs are paid in advance, before their first lesson. Packs have no expiry date and can be transferred to someone else. If you don’t use up a pack, I refund the rest on request, with the lessons you’ve taken charged at the single-lesson price. If you pass your practical driving test or a control drive with me before a pack is used up, or if I can no longer teach, I refund the remaining lessons at the pack price. Details are in my terms and conditions (sections 5.3 to 5.5, in German).
Office fees (paid directly to the office)
- Lucerne: application for code 121
- CHF 30
- Lucerne: additional theory test (group test)
- CHF 30
- Lucerne: practical exam
- CHF 130 per hour per examiner; the BPT exam lasts 60 minutes
- Lucerne: new driving licence (replacement after a change)
- CHF 25
- Nidwalden/Obwalden: application, additional theory test, new licence
- CHF 35, CHF 35 and CHF 40; the practical BPT exam isn’t listed separately in the VSZ fee list – please ask the VSZ
Fee lists as of 1 January 2026. The office’s current list always applies.
Sources (in German): Lucerne fee ordinance (SRL 778)Lucerne office: practical testVSZ: fees (PDF)
What a student says
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5 out of 5 stars
Great classes! He has a lot of patience and flexibility with his time . I could pass my Kontrollfahrt.
Frequently asked questions about the taxi licence
Can I take the taxi exam in English?
Theory tests in Lucerne, including the additional theory test, are offered in German, French and Italian only. And the practical exam? I prepare you in English; the test itself is conducted by an examiner from the road traffic office – please ask the office which language it’s held in.
Do I need a provisional licence for the BPT exam?
No. But you need one year of regular driving experience in category B – learner drives don’t count – and a medical examination.
What’s the difference between code 121 and code 122?
Code 122 is limited to school, worker and disability transport, ambulances and vehicles with a top speed of no more than 30 km/h, and doesn’t require the additional theory test. For code 121, you take the additional theory test and a practical exam.
Can I drive a taxi on my foreign licence?
If your licence was issued outside the EU and EFTA, you need a Swiss driving licence before your first professional trip (Art. 42 para. 3bis let. b VZV). With an EU or EFTA licence, please ask the office what applies to you.
Can I take the exam in your car?
On request, yes: my automatic Toyota GR86, billed as one double lesson (CHF 180) or two lessons from your pack, including preparation and waiting time (terms and conditions, section 12, in German). It’s approved for the BPT exam like any normal car, as the Lucerne Road Traffic Office confirmed when I asked.
Sources (in German): Lucerne office: theory testLucerne office: admissionVZVLucerne office: BPT 122 fact sheet (PDF)Lucerne office: foreign licence
All sources accessed between 27 September 2026 and 1 October 2026. The offices’ current information always takes precedence.
Ready for code 121?
Send me a WhatsApp message with the date of your exam – or when you’d like to start. I’ll get back to you with a suggestion for your first lesson.