Taxi drivers paralyze Barcelona

Drivers in Barcelona faced misery on Thursday due to a 24-hour taxi drivers’ strike that blocked access to the Catalan capital, its airport and port. More than 480 taxi cabs caused major traffic delays as they drove together at low speed from the airport’s Terminal 1 to the center of Barcelona. Taxi’s also blocked the main truck accesses to the Port of Barcelona, as part of their aim to affect strategic points of the city’s infrastructure. Taxi drivers want a reduction in the number of VTC (Transport Vehicle with Driver) licenses issued every year by the Spanish Ministry of Public Works. These are the kind of licenses used by the Uber and Cabify transportation mobile platforms.

The taxi drivers blocked two of the three lanes entering Barcelona, causing a long traffic jam. The situation led to tensions among pedestrians and drivers of other vehicles, with some even spitting at the protestors and rebuking them for paralyzing the city. After reaching Plaça Espanya in Barcelona’s city center, the taxi drivers turned around and returned to the airport.

The traffic congestion provoked by the taxi drivers also affected passengers of the Aerobus airport shuttle service. Passengers had to wait for more than an hour to make a trip that usually does not take longer than 20 minutes. The lack of taxis at the airport also caused long lines, as travelers found their options for getting into the city center much reduced.

Ivan Sesma, member of the Elite taxi union, said that Spanish Ministry of Public Works is not prioritizing the future of the sector, which, according to him, obliges the taxi drivers to “keep fighting for their rights in order for the law to be enforced.” Sector spokespeople added that it is time for taxi drivers to toughen the protest to make it clear that “they will not give up” in their fight.

The aim of the protest action taken by taxi drivers on Thursday was to urge the ministry to ensure that law is enforced, which means authorizing one VTC licence for every 30 taxi licenses. Taxi drivers argue that this limitation is necessary to put the brakes on the services of mobile platforms such as Uber and Cabify, which the taxi sector considers unfair competition.