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A majority of the 5,000 who dropped their ballots into a box outside in the Plaza de Catalunya in an eleventh-hour vote that ended at 23.20 last night agreed to measures that include a compulsory minimum of one hour for contracting an Uber or Cabify car before its arrival, and for geo-tagging of these vehicles to be eliminated so potential passengers would not be able to locate their nearest one, and would have to wait for the one they had booked at least an hour earlier.
Regional government officials initially proposed a minimum booking time of 15 minutes, and threatened to enshrine it in law if taxi drivers did not end their strike, but eventually relented and increased it to one hour.
Madrid's mayor Ángel Garrido says he is not prepared to issue the same type of bye-law, nor include these measures in regional law, since he has no desire to 'legislate against the presence' of Uber and Cabify cars in the city.
As a result, the taxi strike in Madrid remains in place, causing upheaval for many of the quarter of a million visitors to the massive international tourism trade fair FITUR which opened yesterday.
Uber and Cabify spokespersons say they are not happy with Barcelona's new ruling, and Uber has announced plans to stop operating in the city – and although Cabify may follow suit, it has not made any firm decisions.
Uber's representative Eduardo Martín says a minimum of an hour's pre-booking would 'effectively mean the end' of the service, and that it was 'a stupid idea'.
“It's like if someone wants to watch a film via Netflix or somewhere and has to wait an hour or two after downloading it before they can watch it,” Martín says.
“We want both sectors [Uber and Cabify, plus mainstream taxis] to sit down at a table in an orderly and peaceful manner.
“The reality is that they all work fine together in lots of European cities.”
Both Uber and Cabify say they will probably withdraw their services from Madrid if a similar ruling is announced.
HIGH-SPEED rail services between Spain's largest two cities and France have been snapped up by half a million passengers in less than nine months, reveals the transport board.
LOW-COST self-service petrol station chain Ballenoil plans to open a further 110 premises in Spain this year on top of the 233 it already operates nationally.
LEARNING to drive may sound as thrilling as it is daunting, but can be one of the most frustrating times in a young adult's life – and one of the most expensive, too.
EVERY now and again, Spain's traffic authority launches a campaign to remind drivers of what they should and should not be doing, or to answer common questions – such as, can drivers be fined if passengers do not...