On Friday, taxi driver representatives in Mallorca will meet to discuss Wednesday's announcement of a start to the Uber service in four municipalities - Andratx, Calvia, Llucmajor, Palma.
The taxi drivers believe that this service is illegal as it does not have the necessary licence to operate in the municipalities. It will also be in breach of existing regional regulations if there is not, at minimum, a thirty-minute advance booking.
Although the Balearic government is currently operating in an acting capacity since the election, the taxis argue that the mobility ministry should take measures. The ministry says that its inspection service has been notified.
Biel Moragues of one of the taxi associations says that some drivers are angry and are calling for protests that would "paralyse the islands' airports". However, he insists that there won't be any action of this type. "We will not succumb to provocation and we will not leave our customers in their hands."
Moragues is of the view that the sudden arrival of Uber is as a consequence of the election, a charge denied by Felipe Fernández Aramburu, the CEO for Uber in Spain and Portugal. He says that the timing is purely a coincidence. "A launch such as this cannot be improvised in a few days. We have been working for months to start our services on the island."
He refutes the taxi drivers' claim regarding illegality. "The activity of hiring vehicles with a driver in the Balearics does not require an urban licence (from a municipality), as the authorisation granted by island councils is sufficient."
Fernández Aramburu says that Uber in the Balearics have 52 vehicles at present, suggesting that they have obtained 52 VTC licences. The number is low, but more than 200 other licences could well be obtained if the Constitutional Court in Madrid rules against the Balearic government's thirty-minute rule on the grounds that it infringes the constitutional right to free enterprise.
5 comments
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Well, the thing is, that the problem on this island is, that licenses are fixed in local citys/municipios and not in Mallorca as a region. What a silly thing, to have taxis going from Palma Airport to Alcudia, and returning empty. And the other way. So this is an emergency call to to the representatives to create deals between citys. Fix the issues. We have to few taxis with these silly high paid licenses. I think the issue could be solved with change just between Alcudia and Palma. Let Palma Taxis get trips back to the airport, and Alcudia taxis back from the airport to Alcudia. How many millions of hours and miles would this sett free and help a solution? Wee have a problem - CHANGE, then there will be no issues. And what about the climat ?? And more money to each driver if they dont misuse hours every day. This is a wake up call.
I want to know who the 2 thick downvoters are on the comments? Can only be taxi drivers as my survey of 40 people had Palma taxi drivers only slightly ahead of Pol Pot in a vote on likeable people!
Bring on Uber! On more than one occasion, I have had Palma taxi drivers, from the airport and in town, try and take me on a long route home so they can get more of a fair. Little did they know, I have lived here for more than 4 years and challenged them each time and won. Not all of them are opportunists but they are out there. At least with Uber you can report them on the app.
Absolute disgrace these lazy taxi drivers. You cannot get a taxi in Palma in the summer. I walked from Palma to Portsls twice last summer because these reprebates can't be bothered to work late and resist anything that stops their number being cushy. Have used Uber in London, Paris and LA this year and never had to wait more than 5 mins for an car. When they do arrive the drivers are better and more courteous than anything ive had in Mallorca. These morons need to get into the 21st century.
'Moragues is of the view that the sudden arrival of Uber is as a consequence of the election' It's common knowledge that most taxi drivers vote for the PP and Vox so they only have themselves to blame. Especially as it was the taxi drivers who protested against the issuing of more licenses a few years ago but it's always someone else's fault.