Taxis protest in Barcelona in wake of killing of driver

Taxi drivers had been protesting in Barcelona on Wednesday morning following the killing of another driver over the last week. 

Carlos Ríos, a member of the taxi union Élite Taxi, was assaulted by a motorbike driver after an argument in traffic on the street of Travessera de les Corts in the Catalan capital and went into the hospital last Friday night before eventually passing away on Sunday. 

Taxis stopped their service from 10 am to noon on Wednesday, as they performed a slow march drive through the center of Barcelona, from Carrer de Bailén to Passeig de Gràcia. 

"The death of our colleague is a homicide, and tomorrow we will ask for justice and for this event not to be forgotten," Élite Taxi leader Tito Álvarez said on Tuesday.

"We will not let this tragedy go unpunished and we will go all the way so that justice is served," he added.

The union is calling for the "immediate" admission into prison for the alleged aggressor. "In the fight we know that there was no intention to kill, but when you hit someone, you intentially want to attack them," Álvarez said. 

Taxi drivers have also denounced an increase in stressful road interactions.

"We are experiencing some changes in the city that generate stress. There are fewer and fewer spaces to circulate, and this has consequences," Álvarez said.

The union representative also advises drivers "not to get out of the vehicle if there is an alteraction."

"It is clear that the level of nerves and aggression has increased," insisted the spokesman.