Susanne Murer, the Green Mayor of Mörsbach, a district of Zweibrücken in Rhineland-Palatinate, has discovered a gap in the market and Germans should be integrated into the new society she says.

Murer wants to prevent citizens from using their cars for transport, and instead move in an environmentally friendly way from A to B. But not on foot – Murer wants to introduce donkey taxis.

The politician from the Green Party explains: “We are currently looking for donkeys and indeed throughout Germany. From abroad we do not want to import any, that would be too complicated, partly because of quarantine regulations.”

The project should include an “Ark Village”, where endangered pets are to be bred. For this green innovation, Poitou donkeys are particularly suitable for transport and would also offer donkey tours for tourists. It would also be about “slowing down” everyday life, she said.

The German daily, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung asked Murer about how long a donkey taxi would take to get to its destination.

Poitou donkeys can run up to 24 kilometers per hour. At walking pace, with a cart behind, they run five to six kilometers per hour. They would take about half an hour to get to Homburg. By car you need a quarter of an hour.

On social media, her idea was met with ridicule, but her planning is in full swing. “At the moment I’m looking for people who would sell Poitou donkeys. My husband has already got the coach. It should go into operation by the end of the year.”

It is not clear how exactly the Mörsbacher would order their donkeys. Murer speaks of a “calling” the donkey taxi.