Taxi strife
One held, 11 injured as protesting taxi drivers clash with police in Madrid
Demonstrators blocked access to major tourism fair Fitur and vowed not to give up on demands for more stringent regulations for ride-sharing services like Uber and Cabify
Police made one arrest on Wednesday as Madrid taxi drivers escalated their street protests against what they view as unfair competition from online ride-sharing services such as Uber and Cabify. At least 11 people have sustained injuries as demonstrators clashed with riot police on the M-40 beltway.Protesters wearing yellow vests reminiscent of recent anti-government marches in Paris burnt tyres and containers and blocked access roads near Ifema, a convention center that is hosting Spain’s leading tourism fair, Fitur.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, who officially inaugurated the event this morning, were forced to use a side door to bypass the roadblocks, which brought traffic to a standstill. Many attendees cancelled their plans, while others, like a group of workers from the Sercotel hotel chain, were forced to “cover three kilometers on foot and dragging our suitcases, because the bus could not move forward.”
One protester was arrested on the M-40 ring road for blocking access to the Ifema center. There have also been reports of violence against ride-sharing vehicles, one of which was escorted by patrol cars after having its windshield smashed in.
On Tuesday, a taxi driver was taken to hospital in a critical condition after being thrown to the ground by a passing ride-sharing vehicle that he attempted to stop in its tracks.
No step back
Taxi representatives and regional authorities walked away from the negotiating table late last night after failing to reach an agreement on stricter regulations for VTC (vehicle for hire) licenses, which ride-hailing apps in Spain use to operate.
Madrid taxi drivers want a similar deal to what their Barcelona colleagues have secured from Catalan officials. Under those terms, users of ride-sharing apps would have to book the service one hour in advance.
“The president of the Madrid region is not ready to negotiate, and we are not going to give in,” said Saúl Crespo, a spokesman for a taxi support group called Plataforma Caracol.
In Barcelona, where taxi drivers have been striking since Friday, Uber and Cabify said that they are considering leaving Barcelona if the early booking rule is finally implemented.
Public Works Minister José Luis Abalos said on Wednesday that “it is not good” for any activity to be forced to leave, alluding to these ride-sharing companies. He called for a “balanced” approach that will enable both transportation options to coexist peacefully.
Meanwhile, the taxi strike seems to be helping ride-sharing vehicles attract more clients.
“This week we are getting a lot of work thanks to the taxi drivers’ stoppage,” said Jesús Villegas, a driver who works around Madrid airport. “They are hurting themselves a lot with this protest.”
Comments
I think, taxi drivers live in other age. Life changes and consumers have other needs. If you want to earn you have to work. Companies, professionals and self-sufficients have to accommodate to demand, if they try to survive. Monopolising the market is not possible in Spain, in the European Union and in the worldwide. If you don´t adapt to the market, the market will engulf you.
I respect all workers, but I think that taxi drivers had been bad update. It seemed as if Uber and Cabity were leading the strike. These companies are a success among clients, then, you must ask yourself why and after this response you must take out consequences. According to media, young people prefer vehicles of Uber and Cabity. Can it be for ride-sharing? I suppose that taxi drivers have to improve their vehicles and, then, they will compete better with these companies.
Anyway, roadblocks, standstills and other measures of force harm, directly, to clients and, indirectly, to taxi drivers. King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, Fitur´s attendees, workers, citizens, pedestrians and other drivers shouldn´t suffer this strike.
See you.
I am surprised that taxi drivers in Madrid did not achieve any of their goals with their long strike. In fact, I am sure that many of those who regularly took taxis have now switched to Cabify or Uber.
I think taxi drivers live in another age. Life has changed and consumers have other needs. If you want to earn a living, you have to work. Companies, professionals and freelancers have to accommodate to demand if they to survive. Monopolising the market is not possible in Spain, the European Union nor worldwide. If you don´t adapt to the market, the market will engulf you.
I respect all workers but I think that taxi drivers have not kept up-to-date with changes. It seemed as if Uber and Cabify were leading the strike. These companies are a success among clients, then, you must ask yourself why and learn lessons. According to media, young people prefer vehicles of Uber and Cabity. Can it be due to ride-sharing? I suppose that taxi drivers have to improve their vehicles and, then, they will compete better with these companies.
Anyway, roadblocks, standstills and other measures of force harm, directly, to clients and, indirectly, to taxi drivers. King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, Fitur´s attendees, workers, citizens, pedestrians and other drivers shouldn´t have to suffer because of this strike.