The recent publication of the Santa Eulària Town Hall’s Public Transport Action Plan, which establishes 76 seasonal cab licenses, has sparked a debate in the sector about the lack of coordination in the regulation of transport in Ibiza.
Thus, serious inconveniences are foreseen if each municipality does not wait for the Govern’s study and starts to authorize station licenses independently.
From the Balearic Association of Autotaxis (CAEB), Joan Marí has been one of the most critical voices with the decision of the consistory and questions the criteria used to grant these licenses, warning that, in practice, these cabs will end up operating throughout the island due to the current collection regime.
“They have approved 76 licenses without there being a decree from the Govern that establishes objective criteria. Where did they get that number from? We are supposed to be waiting for an autonomic regulation and Santa Eulària has gone on its own,” Marí denounces.
Although the Santa Eulària City Council justifies the increase of 12 seasonal licenses with a private study, Joan Marí questions its validity, since it does not follow common criteria nor does it wait for the regulation of the Balearic Government.
Although the plan states that these licenses are only to operate in Santa Eulària, the reality is that, once the intercity authorization is obtained from the Consell Insular de Ibiza, they will be able to pick up passengers anywhere on the island, in hot spots such as the airport and high demand areas.
The plan specifically states that “these authorizations will only enable the provision of the service within the territorial scope of the municipality of Santa Eulària des Riu, without prejudice to the possible authorization of the Consell Insular de Ibiza to provide the service outside the municipal area”.
Uber, cabs and the lack of control
Joan Marí mentions that, in addition to the uncontrolled increase of seasonal cabs, the balance with Uber is not being regulated, which could generate even more chaos in the sector. He criticizes that city councils grant licenses without a global plan, allowing the number of temporary cabs to exceed the number of fixed licenses, while Uber operates without real control.
“You can’t give unlimited cabs and, at the same time, block Uber. What balance is this?” he questions, warning that the situation could spiral out of control with hundreds of vehicles operating without effective regulation.
They will end up at the airport and at Vila
The problem lies in the passenger pick-up regime in Ibiza, regulated by Decree Law 5/2022. According to this regulation, cabs can pick up passengers at any stop on the island if there are users waiting, as long as they respect the order of arrival.
“They say that these licenses are for Santa Eulària, but in reality they go to work everywhere, at the airport or in the municipality of Ibiza. There is no real control to prevent them from ending up there,” Marí denounces.
The cab driver explains that the Consell Insular does not impose effective restrictions when granting the interurban authorization, which allows these cabs to move freely to the points with the highest demand without any planned criteria.
“The City Council of Santa Eulària grants licenses, but then it is the Consell who allows them to move around the island. And this is going to happen in all municipalities,” he remarks.
The role of the city council and the Govern
Another aspect that generates criticism is that Santa Eulària has approved these licenses without waiting for the autonomic regulation. Although the Balearic Government is preparing a study to define the criteria for granting new licenses, several town councils in Ibiza have decided to commission their own independent studies and continue approving temporary permits.
“The Government is doing a global study for the whole Balearic Islands, but here each municipality is going on its own. Santa Eulària has been the first, but Sant Josep, Sant Antoni and Vila are also doing the same,” explains Marí.
This lack of control has generated concern in the cab sector, as there is no unified vision of how many licenses are really necessary. “If each city council follows this path, we are going to end up with more temporary cabs than fixed licenses. This is nonsense,” warns the CAEB representative.
The season gets an early start
Beyond the number of licenses granted, another point that has aroused criticism is the entry into force of the permits. Marí points out that the autonomous law establishes that the high cab season in Ibiza runs from May 1 to October 31, but Santa Eulària’s plan allows temporary cabs to start on April 12.
“The autonomous regulation clearly says that the summer season starts on May 1. But Santa Eulària says they need cabs since April. Then the Consell gives them the intercity and that’s it, without any restrictions,” questions Marí.
This flexibility has caused fixed-license cab drivers, who work year-round, to see more and more seasonal licenses enter the market earlier, increasing competition in the months leading up to the high season.
“Here everyone does what they want. The Consell does not set limits and the municipalities give licenses without a common criterion. It is an absolute lack of control,” concludes Marí.
The Palma case
For Marí, the key to the problem in Ibiza is that each town hall acts on its own without coordinating with the Consell Insular. He explains that in Palma a different model was established for seasonal licenses:
“In Palma, when they gave seasonal licenses, they limited them so they could only pick up passengers in the city center. They can’t operate at the airport or in other areas with high demand, because there are already fixed cabs working there,” he points out.
This model would ensure that seasonal cabs reinforce the service in their municipalities without generating an oversupply in the busiest areas. However, no similar measure has been considered in Ibiza.
“Here they have given 76 licenses without limiting where they can operate. And if every municipality continues to do the same, we will find total chaos,” Marí insists.
Majority GPS, another controversy in the sector
In addition to the problem of the mobility of seasonal cabs, another of the sector’s complaints is the obligation to connect the vehicles to the majority GPS.
According to Marí, this could favor a monopoly, as the geolocation system is managed by a specific federation, which would force cab drivers to pay additional fees with no option to choose another provider.
“They are forcing us to use a specific GPS. If that system belongs to a federation that charges a fee, what if I don’t want to be part of that federation? I can’t work. This is a covert monopoly,” Marí denounces.
