Spain taxi strike against Uber spreads

Taxi drivers across Spain joined a strike Monday against ride hailing competitors such as Uber and Cabify who they say unfairly threaten their livelihoods, and threatened to keep going as negotiations ended without a deal.

The strike began in Barcelona last week and spread Saturday to Madrid as drivers demanded action from the government.

Strikes or partial stoppages were called in Valencia in eastern Spain, Zaragoza and Bilbao in the north, and Seville in the south.

Representatives of taxi associations held talks Monday with the public works ministry.

But these ended without a deal and the negotiators said they were in favour of maintaining the strikes, but would put it to a vote at their assemblies.

The strike was sparked after the Spanish government appealed a ruling by the Barcelona authorities that limited the number of licences for Uber-style services.

Taxi driver federations want the authorities to strictly enforce the legislation under which there should be 30 traditional taxis for each VTC (Tourism Vehicle with Chauffeur).

They argue their licences are much more expensive than those for VTCs.

Today there are only five traditional taxis for every VTC, they say, warning that they will extend their action to blocking ports, airports and even the border with France if Madrid fails to act.

VTC drivers have in turn criticised their traditional taxi peers, charging that they were attacked in Barcelona last week.

“We sincerely hope that the state does not give in to blackmail from violent people,” said Unauto, the platform which represents Uber and Cabify, its Spanish competitor.

– Licences, monopoly –

In Barcelona, Spain’s biggest tourist attraction, hundreds of black and yellow taxis parked for a third day on the Gran Via, one of the city’s main roads.

Some drivers camped out there, sleeping on mattresses on the ground, in tents or in their taxis.

“It’s a big sacrifice for us to be here, it’s peak season, it’s full of tourists and we could be making good money but we have to say enough,” said Antonio Ramirez, a 38-year-old cab driver in Barcelona.

“If they start giving VTC licences here, there and everywhere, then there will be as many VTCs as taxis and there’s not enough business.

“Many of us have taken out a loan to get a taxi licence,” he added.

But Jose Antonio Robles, who recently turned to driving a VTC after 40 years as a taxi driver on the southern Costa del Sol, was angry.

Taxi drivers “want to try and forcefully recover their monopoly, hijacking the citizen’s opinion and forcing them to consume what they don’t want,” the 63-year-old said from Malaga.

He added taxis should improve their offering if they wanted to attract customers, by for instance offering baby seats, the possibility to pay by American Express, and more generally have available card payment terminals.

After their meeting with government members, taxi representatives said the ministry had offered to publish a decree in September guaranteeing the one-30 ratio.

But Miguel Angel Leal, head of the Fedetaxi federation of taxi associations, said this wasn’t enough as lots of uncertainty would remain, like whether parliament would approve the decree or whether Spain’s autonomous regions would apply it.

“We want a firm compromise that… it will be the same in the whole country,” he said.