A TAXI strike in Barcelona in protest over 'driverless' car hire and car-pooling firms including Cabify, Über and BlaBlaCar meant no transport between 10.00 and 14.00 today (Wednesday) and a protest on foot was held in the Plaza Catalunya.
Cabbies marched from the government offices on the C/ Mallorca chanting and waving banners.
This is the latest in a series of strikes and protests staged by the city's taxi drivers – the last major demonstration was in mid-March when 6,000 cabbies downed tools for 12 hours and blocked the central streetsd of Barcelona with their cars.
The cab industry is gradually becoming open to competition from the private sector, which city taxi drivers – who are licenced and managed by the council – are not happy about.
They complain that the 10,500 drivers employed in the metropolitan area will lose business.