Taxi drivers are calling for the denial of 10,000 VTC licenses in the Balearic Islands: "It would be a catastrophe."

PalmThe Taxis-Pimem association has asked the Balearic Government to reject the granting of nearly 10,000 licenses for ride-hailing vehicles (VTCs) in the Balearic Islands, arguing that it would be "a catastrophe" leading to the "complete collapse" of all transportation options in the islands. This statement was made by the president of the taxi drivers' association, Biel Moragues, after a meeting held this Wednesday at the Consolat de Mar with the President of the Government, Marga Prohens, and the Minister of Housing, Territory, and Mobility, José Luis Mateo. The meeting served to assess the recent rulings by the High Court of Justice of the Balearic Islands (TSJIB), which requires the Government to process these applications, which had been denied during the previous legislature, and which questions the potential arbitrariness of the VTC-to-taxi ratio.

For Moragues, these approximately 3,500 licenses in Mallorca and another 6,500 in Ibiza would make the Balearic model "unsustainable" on an "economic, traffic, and environmental" scale. Furthermore, he criticized the fact that these permits are managed by "three or four companies" that "hold the majority of licenses at the national level." He also emphasized that these licenses were allegedly transferred shortly after being requested and had to go through a legal process before they could be issued.

"It's a mafia."

"This is a mafia operation, and it's incomprehensible that the State Attorney General's Office hasn't intervened, because they're speculating with a public asset, namely transport permits, and the same cars used in other autonomous communities have been used to apply for them," he pointed out. Another argument he put forward is that the legislation on discretionary transport gives the Government a loophole to establish more restrictive conditions when granting these licenses, because it refers to state highways—when there aren't any in the Balearic Islands—and to transfers within the Autonomous Community—when the islands are separate islands. The taxi drivers' representative also accused the digital platforms of "piracy" for hiring these ride-hailing services, because he stated that they are "the ones who hire the workers" and are not "a mediation company." He also maintained that Uber has "lower" prices than taxi drivers in winter, but "charges four times more" in summer, criticizing the fact that taxis have regulated fares. "This is unacceptable for a sector that needs to make ends meet in the summer to sustain the service in winter," he argued.

"Speculative model"

The president of Pimem, Jordi Mora, argued that this procedure will also serve to define the transport and economic system of the Balearic Islands, presenting the dichotomy between the taxi model, with 2,500 licenses that are "small businesses," and a model he described as "speculative," with two or three operators who "cheat." Furthermore, he stated that at a time when there is talk of placing limits on tourism and housing, "10,000 new licenses cannot be put on the table" because, in his opinion, it is a "senseless" request.