The Discretionary Road Transport Association section of the FEBT says there’s also been an increase in reservations for minibuses with up to ten seats and VTC, or Transport Vehicle with Driver.
"Occupancy levels are around 80%, which gives an idea of current demand,” said FEBT.
“Tourists are booking taxis to go to restaurants, shops and other places instead of using public transport by bus because they want to travel safely,” explains Taxis-CAEB Employers’ Association President, Antoni Bauçà. “The Municipalities had to take action to meet demand, which has grown exponentially in July."
“Tourists who come to Mallorca are concerned about their health security and prefer to travel by taxi rather than by public transport,” agrees Biel Moragues, Mallorca-PIMEM Taxi Autonomous Association President. “We have had a greater volume of work since the beginning of July, perhaps because tourists arriving on the island this summer are of higher quality and prefer to use these services, to be safer than on mass public transport. Reservations are increasing from one day to the next, which is positive after a year of the pandemic. Our objective is to save the season and maintain the current rate of activity until the end of September.”
In Mallorca there are currently 2,500 taxi licenses and most of them are fully operational.
Taxi services are being strengthened in coastal areas, central Palma and busy tourist areas such as Playa de Palma, where bookings increase dramatically from Friday to Sunday.
“Spanish and British tourists are making up for the negative evolution of other European source markets,” said Moragues, “because they have greater purchasing power and want to enjoy their stay on the island in a safe way.”
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I have nothing against tourists taking taxis but they shouldn’t be able to bag nearly all of them. There are residents who need them too. I personally have had to cancel not one, not two, but three important medical appointments since the beginning of June because the taxis I had specifically ordered two days previously never showed up. The explanation: “there aren’t any free because they prefer to pick up tourists rather than locals”!! (And before anyone suggests taking buses or walking, I have mobility issues.)