On Tuesday, the Balearic parliament passed a motion calling for a law for the taxi and VTC sectors that will maintain the 30-minute requirement for VTC services. Aimed specifically at Uber (or other such companies), it is currently the case that VTC (vehicle transport with driver) providers must have advance bookings of a minimum of thirty minutes. Uber in Mallorca operates with VTC licences.
The motion was raised by the main opposition party, PSOE. Spokesperson Iago Negueruela said that a bill was necessary for a sector that is suffering changes to its model because of the emergence of multinational companies like Uber which "want to destroy the market" and leave taxi drivers with not operating as such but having to work under the Uber brand, as is the case in parts of Spain.
He insisted that there is a need to proceed quickly and urgently so that there continues to be "market freedom, based on competition and on thousands of small businesses and self-employed workers operating on equal terms with multinationals". "There is nothing more contrary to freedom than monopolies, which the world economy is becoming."
Among aspects of the proposed law would be a mechanism to prevent VTC licences being transferred from one island to another. The mobility ministry has received over 10,000 VTC licence applications for possible authorisation, and the bulk of these, around 8,000, apply to Ibiza. It is believed that many of these could be switched from Ibiza to Mallorca and Menorca.
The Balearic government has said that the 30-minute rule will be maintained while the Constitutional Court in Madrid considers its legality. The government has made clear that it wishes to prevent an "avalanche" of VTC authorisations and that it will therefore limit the number of licences. Discussions are being held with the VTC sector, the government appearing to be inclined towards continuing with an advance-booking rule.
Ahead of the parliamentary session, taxi representatives were critical of the government's slowness in moving ahead with regulation, arguing that a decree law could have been introduced that would have served as a "firewall" to reassure people.
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This insightful write-up provides a comprehensive overview of the longstanding mistrust between traditional taxis and VTC services, shedding light on the regulatory, competitive, and perceptual factors at play. It highlights the complexities of the relationship, acknowledging both the tensions and collaborations between drivers. Additionally, the mention of events at Eurexpo Lyon in 2024 adds a local touch, enhancing the relevance of the content https://amvtc-transfert.fr/taxi-vs-vtc-conflits-reglementation-et-evenements-a-eurexpo-lyon-en-2024/
Jules OThe taxi mafia are scared as they offer an inferior service at exorbitant prices and treat you like cattle.
Uber co-exists perfectly well with regular taxis on an even footing in most of the world's major cities/locations. There is no reason why Mallorca should be any different (or why Uber should have different rules applied to it compared to regular taxis).
The taxi mafia complaining again. Dull dull dull, if they were that good, reliable and fair priced Uber wouldn't work.
I think the headline is wrong. It should be "defending the monopoly" of taxis in Mallorca. They will not have, and accept, any competition whatsoever.
It’s called progress and technology. And there’s more than one call up taxi company.
Mallorca has become choked with cars and many visitors choose to hire cars because they cannot rely on the availability of taxis. Local taxis are excellent and safe; Uber is not the answer. However, the Mallorca model needs to change to provide more taxis.