TAXI TRUCE
Drivers return to work as national strike is called off for the 'time being'
A STRIKE by taxi drivers which caused havoc in Spain for a week was ‘suspended’ yesterday (Thursday).
Tens of thousands of drivers blocked roads in the country’s major cities and staged protests in Benidorm, Alicante city and Alicante-Elche airport.
Passengers arriving at the airport found only a handful of drivers defying the strike and huge queues could be seen of passengers waiting for buses to Alicante, Benidorm and Torrevieja. Informative sheets were stuck in the taxi area informing passengers of the industrial action taking place.
Taxis have called on the government to take action over competition from drivers with VTC licences working for firms such as Cabify and Uber which can be hired via smartphone applications.
They want the law enforced that only one VTC licence can be granted for every 30 taxis in any given area.
VTC vehicles have been vandalised, with drivers threatened during the demonstrations.
One driver even showed a bullet hole in a back window of his car, where he had been shot at.
The government called a national transport conference in an attempt to deal with the escalating protest movement.
Public works minister José Luis Ábalos has proposed that regional governments should regulate the VTC sector.
However, this will be voluntary and if they refuse then the sector in that region will fall under the rules of national legislation again.
At the same time, a ‘ good practice’ working group will be set up to try to ensure that competition between traditional taxis and VTC vehicles should benefit the public transport sector and taxis should ‘increase competitiveness’.
Taxi driver associations have stated that their ‘truce’ is not a climbdown and they will strike again in September or October ‘if we have to’.
In Benidorm, people turning up at taxi ranks on Monday were told only 'minimum' services were available - namely for wheelchair users, medical needs and the elderly.
A picket was mounted at Benidorm main bus station early in the morning - and again passengers arriving had to wait for local bus to get near their accommodations.
In other towns drivers went on a ‘go slow’ drive around the main streets to hold up traffic.
On their website, Cabify maintain that their customers can ‘enjoy various benefits that aren’t always available with taxis’.
These include a fixed price based on the shortest route – ‘you’ll know the price before you order, so you won’t pay more if you hit traffic’.
They note that ‘ instead of waiting on the street for a taxi to pass, you can order a Cabify in a couple of taps via the app or website’.
“Our app lets you specify your journey preferences, such as radio station, air-con and driver service,” they add.
Read more on the national strike incidents on page 23.