05/04/2013 00:00
TW
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THE Palma city council has approved a general 3.36 per cent rise in taxi fares, but the introduction of a minimum fare (of three euros during the day and four euros at night and on holidays) will be subject to a legal report, amid fears that it may infringe the law on the protection of consumers.

The increase was approved with the votes of the Partido Popular (PP) which has an absolute majority, and rejected by the entire opposition.
Carlos Veramendi, the councillor in charge of traffic and transport, defended the new fares system, claiming that the revision of fares was backed by a legal report which determined that it was valid. He said he was sure that it did not infringe any consumer regulations.

However, council secretary Agusti Esteva ruled that the objection made by socialist councillor, José Antonio Santos, was plausible. Santos argued that charging a minimum over and above what was shown on the meter when the cab was flagged down, irrespective of whether the passenger wants to go only a few metres or the ride lasts a few minutes, could break the consumer law as it charges for a service which has not been provided.

Santos pointed out that the law on the defence of consumers, modified in December last year, bans the rounding up of charges and collecting for services which have not been provided. This could be incompatible with a minimum fare replacing the amount on the flag (1.80 euros) for a fixed price of three euros for up to 1.714 kms or up to four and a half minutes of service.

This minimum fare rises to four euros at night and on weekends and bank holidays.
The secretary warned that the new charges could infringe the regulations and suggested a specific legal report, and to postpone the revision of fares until the legal standing is cleared up, which was accepted by the majority.

A group of neighbours attending the meeting complained about the increase, but Veramendi defended it, claiming it is the lowest in recent years. The increase in 2005 was 5.4 per cent and last year it was 4.6 per cent.

He said that most of the supplements remained the same as last year.
Santos replied by saying that changing the amount on the meter for a minimum fare represents an increase in the basic cost of a taxi by 66 per cent in the case of a daytime fare and 122 per cent at night.

Bartomeu Carrió of the Majorcan Socialist Party, agreed with Santos.
Eberhard Grosske of the United Left-Greens coalition, said that the council should take steps to bring order to the taxi sector in Palma which is “scarce and very expensive.”