Still not enough taxis in Palma.

Still not enough taxis in Palma. | Majorca Daily Bulletin reporter

Humphrey CarterPalma29/08/2023 10:15
TW
2

No wonder Uber are in the fast lane in Palma, there simply are not enough taxis to go round and don’t even think about trying to book one, it doesn’t work, the system has crashed yet again.

Only this week, and not for the first time, I was let down and it was no joyride. I needed to get to a medical appointment and had booked a taxi 24 hours earlier and they knew where I was going and that it was therefore an important booking.
Did the taxi turn up as we stood there in the 34C heat? No. Did anyone, once I finally got through to the taxi office, apologise? No, and this is the second time it’s happened recently and the previous time was also for an important meeting with Trafico. On that occasion I was unable to speak to anyone, I was just left stranded.

Sadly, I am used to this disgraceful and unacceptable situation every summer, but it is still extremely annoying to say the least.
However, if I was in Palma for a few days, or a day if I had sailed in onboard a cruise ship, I would be far from impressed. I would not expect, especially in this heat, to have to be queuing, waiting, fighting and panicking for a taxi.

The cabbies fought until the bitter end to stop Uber from being allowed to operate in Palma, but they lost their battle and have now lost their monopoly. But even with Uber operating, there simply are not enough vehicles to go round.

We all know that taxi drivers would rather spend hours waiting for a cross-island trip at the airport as opposed to short stints round central Palma, but that’s not the point. A limit should be placed on those allowed to wait at the airport/port while a minimum number made to operate in Palma.