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Taxi law advances amid criticism and doubts over the future of Uber and Cabify
Parliament begins debating the new taxi law in Barcelona. Junts announces that it will seek changes to protect VTC services. The taxi sector and platforms such as Uber and Cabify face an uncertain future.
The regulation of taxis and VTCs in Barcelona is entering a decisive phase. The Parlament has begun processing a law that could drastically reduce Uber and Cabify licences, while the taxi sector follows the debate with tension. The proposal, promoted by PSC, ERC, the CUP, Comuns and Junts following the rejection of a Vox amendment, proposes declaring taxis a service of general economic interest and limiting the presence of VTCs in the metropolitan area.
If the text does not change, more than half of VTC licences would disappear, and new authorisations would be temporary and non-renewable. Junts, which supported the processing, wants to introduce changes to guarantee the sector's viability, prompting criticism from taxi drivers and their leader in Barcelona, Tito Álvarez.
The law also provides for new requirements: taxi drivers and VTC drivers will have to prove a minimum level of Catalan, and all vehicles will be geolocated and subject to stricter administrative control. In the coming weeks, the Territorio committee will debate the text, which could be approved before the end of the year and shape the future of urban transport in Barcelona and the balance between taxis and VTCs.
The impact will go beyond the sector: the reduction in VTCs and the strengthening of taxis may alter the balance of urban transport, affecting vehicle availability, waiting times and mobility provision in areas with high demand.