The taxi strikes will continue across Spain after sector representatives failed to reach a deal with government officials at a four-hour meeting on Monday.
Taxi representatives said they are not satisfied with the government’s offer to transfer powers over licensing to regional governments, and said this would simply extend the problem to 17 regions, rather than solve it.
The Popular Party (PP) and Ciudadanos said they will ask Public Works Minister José Luis Ábalos to come to Congress to explain the “chaos” caused by the stoppage, which comes at the peak of tourist season in Spain.
Spanish authorities this week launched a series of meetings in a bid to end the ongoing strikes in Barcelona, Madrid and other cities over “unfair” competition from ride-hailing services like Uber or Cabify.
On Monday Pedro Saura, the state secretary for infrastructure, transportation and housing, met with Spain’s main sector associations – Fedetaxi, Élite Taxi and Antaxi – to listen to their demands.
On Tuesday Saura is set to meet representatives of ride-hailing associations, who operate under special licenses for chauffeured rental vehicles known as VTC. “Tomorrow we’re going to ask the government not to yield to the blackmail, because we cannot renounce competition, because competition is good. And because blackmail is not good,” said Eduardo Martín, president of Unauto, which represents VTC interests.
Taxi representatives said that Saura was sympathetic to their concerns and that he wants to see an enforcement of the law, which says that only one VTC license can be awarded for every 30 taxi licenses.
