One of the taxi drivers' associations has called a protest on 13 September against restrictions on working hours in Palma. Antoni Bauzá of the association that is within the Balearic transport federation wants the town hall to allow 24-hour working (for the cars, that is, rather than the drivers) and so address drivers' complaints and, above all, those of the public.
The protest, in the form of a cavalcade, will start at ten in the morning in Son Moix. The drive will be to the town hall and will take around two hours.
Bauzá says that the current sixteen hours of operation are creating big problems and don't benefit the drivers at all. There is, he stresses, a bad service during the night. He wants the protest to rectify the "errors" made this year and ensure that they aren't repeated during the 2018 tourism season.
He argues that the situation at present is leading to chaos, and he places the blame for this on the town hall and another drivers' association, the one led by Biel Moragues. The town hall, according to Bauzá, has an obligation to provide a good service to the public but isn't. Moragues, he claims, has pressurised the town hall into following a decision taken four years ago but which now makes no sense in that it harms the whole taxi sector.
The protest is scheduled for a day when there will be no cruise ships in port and when passenger arrivals at the airport will be comparatively light. In addition to longer hours, the protest will be demanding greater police and transport ministry inspector presence at the airport.
5 comments
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It is time this island came out of the dark ages. Let enterprise and competition come into play without all the bureaucratic nonsense that now exists. Good service at reasonable prices will be the result.
Who wants to get into a taxi where the driver has been working 24hrs !!!!!!!!!!!!! taxi drivers are mad drivers anyway on a number of occasions we have had to ask drivers to slow down as they are above the speed limit and trying to get back as fast as possible for the next fare !!
I don't think that you will having as many tourists next year due to anti-tourist protests and graffiti,constantly blaming the tourists for just about every problem on majorca,long airport queues and the lowest rate ever for the pound. Those who do come will increasing use the hoppa service as it is much cheaper and the fast hoppa service is almost as quick as a taxi anyway.
No Service Provided = No License to Operate. Time to get tough with this group and show them that the citizens run this city not some group of militants who feel they can hold us all to ransom. Funny how they complain about the pirate taxis who actually provide better service! Feeling threatened?
The surfeit of taxis at the Airport, will have less work on 13 September. It would be useful if they could go and work in Palma !. But it would not happen. There would be fighting on the streets, as both factions of Taxi's are banned from operating in both areas. It is a shame that Public Transport can not cope, and be more available, so there would be no need for an expensive Taxi .