Taxis plan to block Barcelona's road accesses after being fined €123,000

Barcelona's Élite Taxi union is planning to block every major road access to Barcelona over the first weekend in September, coinciding with the return from vacation of thousands of people that live in the Catalan capital. 

Taxi drivers want to protest against the decision of the Catalan Competition Authorities (ACCO) to fine the union €123,000 for pressuring drivers not to use ride-hailing platforms such as Uber. 

The taxi sector will take action between September 1 and September 4, when many residents are expected to return to Barcelona from their summer vacations. Roads will be blocked around the airport, the port, and the main highways in the city. 

According to ACCO, Élite Taxi's actions constitute a "very serious infringement" of Spanish competition law 15/2007. 

The authorities argue Élite Taxi "launched a pressure campaign" against Uber in late 2020 when the ride-hailing platform was set to begin providing its services in Barcelona, discouraging drivers in the metropolitan area from using the app and "spreading a negative and discrediting image of Uber in the media."

In the press release where the protest was announced, the taxi union demanded the sacking of the president and director of the ACCO. 

Élite Taxi also accused ACCO of "repressing like a Francoist court." The union added that Uber and other businesses like Cabify, Bolt, and Free Now are "toxic companies, which for years have been destroying taxis", and concluded that saying so is "part of the fundamental right of freedom of expression".