A meeting with transport ministry officials, including the minister Marc Pons, and the tourism director-general, Pilar Carbonell, has not eased taxi-driver concerns over this summer's introduction of bus services from the airport to five resort areas. Jaume Mateu, the transport director-general, explained that the government does not see the bus services as being competition but as a means of improving the overall quality of transport.
The president of the FEBT association, Antonio Cervilla, said that the drivers are not against an improvement of public transport in Majorca but that they are opposed to the ministry's plan because it is only for connections from the airport to resorts. This, the drivers believe, will harm them.
Following the meeting, representatives of the different driver associations held their own meeting to consider what protest action they will take. There are currently no specific plans.
At present, the only bus service from the airport is the EMT route to Palma. Tourists wanting to go to resorts therefore have to change. Pons added at the meeting that a general government objective is to increase the use of inter-urban bus transport by 25% over the next eight years.
In Calvia, meanwhile, drivers there are unhappy about the bus services - one will go to Magalluf, another to Santa Ponsa - and are also unhappy with the town hall. It says that the mayor and other councillors have at no time asked for the bus services. However, Pons has said that certain town halls, including Calvia, had requested them.
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The majority of people who use buses do so because they don't want to bear the cost of a taxi. I'm therefore not sure that this will affect their business too much. It just offers a further option to those who were already going to take a bus regardless. It will probably affect companies like Resort Hoppa more.
After the resort hoppa bus broke down in the midday heat we were forced to stop a taxi as we were about 15km from Santa Ponsa . We were charged 80 euro by the thief of a taxi driver taking advantage of our situation !!!! Wish we had got a reciept and went to the authorities as it was daylight robbery !!!
Why should the interests of taxi drivers be put ahead of the interests of the great majority of the general public?
It is ridiculous that there is only a specialised bus service of two lines from the airport, which completely plays into the cartel of the taxis. There are many buses that pass on the motorway or through Es Col d'En Rebassa that could easily divert to a dedicated airport stop with little deviation, as they head on through to Placa D'Espana. This would allow people to access the general bus service from the airport and open up access to the airport from Llucmayor, El Arenal, Cala Pi etc.
Yes let us strike, block all access to the airport with a line of our taxis. Let us help to promote tourism on the island over major income stream !!! Heavy sarcasm. Mallorca is so stuck in its Franco ways. Set up Apps for sharing for taxis. Allow Palma taxis to pick up and take back from resort. It is so not Eco friendly - having a taxi drive to Pollensa and then return empty adding pollution and congestion on the roads. Not to mention how confused tourists are when an empty taxi refuses to pick them up,they feel angry and insulted.
How I wish I could arrange a Major Protest from Tourists, who have been ripped off by Airport Taxi Drivers. €25.00 to Plaza Espana at 8.pm. during the week. Will never be forgotten. I wish I had obtained a receipt from this thief. These Drivers should be banned from operating at the Airport. Get rid of these Taxi Drivers, and increase Public Transport facilities to ALL the Urbanisation Resorts .