'ALTERNATIVE' taxi services Uber and Cabify have ceased operations in Barcelona as from today after restrictions on booking have made it 'impossible' for them to operate.
In light of mainstream cab drivers having staged multiple protests across the city to force the council's hand, passengers now have to book Uber and Cabify rides at least 15 minutes in advance – which taxi drivers have reluctantly agreed to, as they wanted this to be extended to at least an hour or two, with geo-tagging removed so customers would not be able to trace any other Uber or Cabify than the one they had reserved, and minimum distances set.
Cabify says 98.5% of its bookings are made much less than 15 minutes before the ride is required, and Uber says this restriction does not apply anywhere else in Europe – where, they say, mainstream taxis coexist with these newer alternatives without any problems – and that it goes against their policy of being immediately available.
Both services say they have been 'constructively dismissed' from Catalunya, since the Barcelona ruling is expected to apply across the region.
Uber, which briefly left Catalunya, returned about a year ago and, up to yesterday, had around 500,000 users, whilst Cabify has about a million customers registered in Barcelona alone.
In Madrid, no such restrictions are likely to apply – regional president Ángel Garrido is against limiting Uber and Cabify services, although may consider allowing individual town and city councils to 'regulate' pre-booking times if they see fit.
Taxi drivers in Madrid are now on their 11th day of striking and protesting, and Cabify and Uber say they will also cease operations in the capital if they are forced to allow a minimum booking time as in Barcelona.
Andalucía taxi drivers, meanwhile, have called for a change in regional law allowing them to charge a fee per head for rides rather than a blanket fee for mileage.
As yet, strikes on the scale of those seen in Barcelona and Madrid have not affected any cities in Andalucía, and regional public works minister Marifrán Carazo insists taxis should be able to 'coexist harmoniously' with alternative services such as Uber and Cabify.
