Mallorca taxi blues

Only Palma cabs can pickup clients at Palma airport. | PILAR PELLICER

Jason MoorePalma13/04/2023 16:30

There is a severe shortage of taxis on the island. Despite plenty of talk last summer the situation has still not been resolved and there will be long queues at taxi ranks this summer. In Calvia, one of the biggest tourist municipalities in Europe, there are just 200 taxis. Last summer there were numerous incidents and one hotel director told me that there was even violence as tourists clashed over the waiting time for a cab. The situation can't be easily resolved.

The simplest solution would be to grant more taxi licences but this move would be resisted by many drivers. The fewer the taxis, the greater the takings. In Calvia a taxi licence can cost in excess of 500,000 euros, compared to the 250,000 euros in Palma. In the case of the city there are more taxis but of course there is Palma airport, where only Palma cabs can pick up clients. A radical approach is needed. Perhaps it would be a good idea if all taxis, whichever municipalities they come from, were to be permitted to collect passengers at Palma airport. In return, Palma cabs would be allowed to collect passengers anywhere on the island. This would certainly ease the shortage and make things easier. Perhaps a single radio taxi service could be set up to replace the three which exist at the moment. No one is exactly to blame but action is needed sooner rather than later to avoid problems during the key summer months on the island.