The Taxi Business Association of the Balearic Islands met today with the vice-president of the Consell de Ibiza and Councilor for Mobility, Mariano Juan, and the island director of Transport, Roberto Algaba, to express the urgent need for a regulation that allows the stable coexistence between ordinary cabs, seasonal licenses and transport vehicles with driver (VTCs). At the meeting, representatives of the group, including its president Antoni Bauzá and the spokesman in Ibiza, Joan Maríhighlighted the critical situation of the sector in the absence of a unified and detailed regulation that responds to the demands of cab professionals on the island. “The cab sector is asking for clear and coordinated measures that give us a framework of security. The current situation, with a moratorium on licenses that will end in February and an expansion of VTCs, forces us to take urgent measures to prevent the local cab service from being even more affected,” explained Joan Marí, in statements after the meeting.
Concern over seasonal license moratorium
One of the issues that focused the meeting was the upcoming expiration of the moratorium approved by the Balearic Government on seasonal licenses, which will generate a possible avalanche of temporary cab authorizations. Marí expressed that the group does not agree with the recent proposal to implement fixed and discontinuous seasonal licenses, considering that this model could damage the sustainability of the local cab and create a competition that would affect professionals permanently. “We ask not to move forward with this measure. If the regulation for seasonal licenses changes here, it will affect all the Balearics. Our sector already faces great pressure, and we need stability and job security, not more competition in an already overloaded market,” Marí stressed. In addition, they insisted that the Balearic Government establish unified criteria so that studies on the need for licenses are done at the community level and not duplicate efforts or municipal resources. According to Marí, “if each town hall in Ibiza carries out its own studies, chaos is guaranteed, and the Consell must listen to the sector to unify the process under solid criteria defined by the Govern”.
The problem of joint service areas and the control of VTCs
Another of the points addressed was the creation of joint service areas, which would allow cabs from different municipalities on the island to collaborate to cover the demand in critical tourist spots during the high season. As Marí explained, in Ibiza this regulation is subject to a decree law, while in Menorca and Mallorca it is applied through less strict administrative resolutions. This regulatory disparity generates, in the words of the spokesman, a lack of clarity and consistency in the application of the regulations. “The situation on each island is disparate and, in the case of Ibiza, we are concerned that these differences end up damaging the viability of the sector. We ask the Consell, in conjunction with the Govern, to design a homogeneous regulation that allows each island to adopt the necessary specific measures, without losing regional coherence,” commented Marí. On the other hand, the cab sector insists that there must be greater control over VTCs. The grouping has requested that detailed information be provided on the VTCs operating on the island, including both those that have authorization to operate and those that are actually in circulation. “We want to know how many VTCs are active, how many of them comply with the requirements of the law, from having insurance to maintaining the service conditions required. If this is not controlled, the cab service will be at a disadvantage and the market will be further destabilized,” Marí explained.
Responses from the authorities and next steps in the regulation of transport in Ibiza
According to Marí, the local authorities took note of the sector’s demands and assured that these concerns will be raised at the next Consell Balear de Transportes, in which it is expected to define a clear regulation for VTCs and cab licenses in all the islands. In addition, he advanced that the Consell de Ibiza has indicated its willingness to collaborate in the development of a regulatory framework that not only fits the needs of the island, but also establishes quality criteria in the transport service and safety for users. “This meeting marks a starting point, but it is necessary that the commitments made are translated into concrete measures and effective regulations. Only in this way can we maintain the competitiveness of the cab in Ibiza and ensure the coexistence of the sector with VTCs and seasonal licenses,” concluded Marí.
