La entrada New cab and VTC regulations in Ibiza: municipalities will hold the key to the future of the thousands of Uber applications. se publicó primero en La Voz De Ibiza.
]]>The law itself recognizes the magnitude of the problem: in 2023 alone, more than 10,000 VTC applications were submitted in the Balearic Islands, compared to a current fleet of 2,529 cab licenses and 739 VTC licenses, a figure that the preamble of the regulation describes as «totally disproportionate and environmentally unsustainable». The Government has repeated this diagnosis in recent weeks, in an attempt to give relief to the cab sector.
A good part of these petitions -according to cab drivers, some 6,500 in Ibiza and 3,500 in Mallorca-are promoted by large business groups that already control thousands of licenses in other communities.
The moratorium approved by Law 1/2024 and later extended by decree law keeps frozen, for now, the granting of new cab and VTC licenses until the regulation becomes a reality.
The fifth and most recent draft of the regulation draws a board with several pieces, but a central idea: without prior passage through the municipalities, there will be no new VTCs on the street.
Town halls as the first key filter In order to be able to work normally, each VTC will need, in general, an urban authorization from the town hall of the municipality where the vehicle is domiciled and, later, the interurban authorization from the corresponding island council. This makes the consistories the first filter of the system: they are the ones who will have to decide whether to create urban VTC licenses, how many, under what conditions and in what terms. In addition, the draft establishes that the municipal ordinances that regulate urban transport must be adapted to the new framework within a maximum period of one year after the decree enters into force. Until then they will remain in force as long as they do not contradict the regulation.
In a transitional provision, the Ministry of Mobility is charged with setting, within a maximum period of fifteen days from the entry into force of the decree, the number of interurban authorizations (cabs and VTC) that may be granted on each island, according to the general criteria of Article 4: Human Pressure Index, weight of tourism, public transport network, major infrastructure, environmental impact, road congestion, etc.. This first figure may be assumed or adjusted by the island councils within one month.
Reinforced role of the councils Once the ceilings are set, the councils will be the ones to grant interurban VTC authorizations within the maximum quota assigned for their island. On the ground, this means that they will only be able to grant new authorizations if they fit within the fixed ceiling and if, in addition, there is the corresponding license or urban authorization in the municipality where the vehicle is domiciled.
In parallel, the regulation enshrines the principle of «each VTC on its own island»: authorizations domiciled in the Balearic Islands will be able to provide intercity services only within the territory of the island where they are domiciled, once the transition between the current regime and the new one has been completed.
In the case of Ibiza, where there is already a special regime of passenger collection that affects the entire island, the Agrupación de Autotaxis de Baleares has recalled in its allegations that the studies of licensing needs are still only done at the municipal level and claims that this «anomaly» is corrected, aligning the regulation with the opinions of the Consell Consultiu on the island competences.
One of the most sensitive points for Ibiza is in the third transitional provision of the draft. During the first month from the entry into force of the decree, holders of VTC licenses in force in the Balearic Islands may request the change of address of their license to another island other than the current one, provided that they can prove previous services in the community.
The fourth transitory provision establishes that the processing of new cab and VTC licenses and authorizations cannot begin until these changes of domicile have been made and it has been determined how many interurban authorizations are still in force on each island.
If, after these changes of domicile, the maximum number of authorizations set for an island is exceeded, the decree itself provides that the licenses that have served the least amount of time in that territory will be denied transfer.
On paper, the mechanism seeks to order a situation that today allows many VTCs to operate indiscriminately between islands. In practice, various players in the sector view this window with suspicion because of the risk that part of the fleets may try to concentrate on the most profitable islands, such as Ibiza, before the quotas are definitively closed.
The big unknown is what will happen to the applications filed before and after Law 1/2024. The law suspended the granting of new cab and VTC licenses, but did not prevent requests from continuing to be registered. Those files remained in a sort of freezer while waiting for the regulation, which now establishes that those affected by the moratorium will have preference in the first calls for applications to be called within the new quota per island.
La Voz de Ibiza has asked the Govern how many VTC applications have been submitted in 2024 and 2025 -that is, after the entry into force of Law 1/2024-, but the Executive has not yet provided this data, key to understand what real volume may try to slip through the cracks of the new framework.
Nor has it specified when the regulation is expected to be finally approved. The process has been lengthened after the Consell Consultiu forced to reopen the public information process after considering that the text had changed substantially with respect to the initial version, which has added months to the calendar.
In this context, the recent ruling of the TSJIB adds another layer: it obliges to process again 600 applications from 2022-2023 «according to the regulations applicable at the time of the application». This pushes to examine case by case and opens the door for other files to follow that path if the courts conclude that they were rejected with similar criteria.
As of today, the official message is clear: the Govern considers that authorizing 10,000 new VTCs would be «barbaric» and assures that only licenses that «the territory can absorb» will be granted. At the same time, it claims legal certainty in order not to chain new sentences like the one of the 600 VTCs.
But the real game will be played not only in Palma, but also – and above all – in the island councils and town halls, which will have to set quotas, adapt ordinances and, in practice, decide how many black cars – and how many cabs – will fit on the streets of Ibiza in the coming years.
La entrada New cab and VTC regulations in Ibiza: municipalities will hold the key to the future of the thousands of Uber applications. se publicó primero en La Voz De Ibiza.
]]>La entrada Twist in the cab and Uber regulation in Ibiza: the Consultiu forces a new public exhibition. se publicó primero en La Voz De Ibiza.
]]>The process to approve the new cab and VTC regulations -including Uber- in the Balearic Islands has taken an unexpected turn. The Consell Consultiu has demanded the Govern to reopen the process of hearing and public information, appreciating that the text was«substantially modified» after the first public exhibition without offering the affected sectors the possibility of presenting new allegations. The decision puts the brakes on the calendar that the Autonomous Executive was handling and returns the decree to a phase that was considered to have been overcome.
The reopening of the process is contained in a resolution signed on December 19 by the Councilor for Housing, Territory and Mobility, José Luis Mateo, and published on the portal of citizen participation of the Govern. The new period of public exposure is articulated by way of urgency and will remain open until January 2, with a period of seven working days (counted from this Monday, December 22) to submit allegations, both online and in person. The Govern itself states in the resolution that the step responds to a requirement of the Consultiu, not to a voluntary decision.
The origin of the decision is strictly legal. According to the resolution, the president of the Consell Consultiu informed the president of the Govern on December 18 that, on examining the file, it had been detected that after the hearing and participation procedures already carried out, modifications were incorporated into the project that the body considers «substantial». In this context, the Consultiu concludes that it is essential to repeat the public information, in application of its doctrine and the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court, expressly citing sentence 519/2025, of May 6.
The document does not list the specific changes that motivate the requirement, but makes it clear that it is not enough to have informed a first version of the text if it is later significantly altered. Otherwise, the decree would be exposed to the risk of nullity for violating the principles of participation and transparency. This is the scenario that the Govern is now trying to avoid by reopening the procedure.
The cab and VTC regulation has not followed a linear path. It started at the beginning of 2025 with separate public consultations for cab and VTC, which were later unified in a single text. After the first public exposure, the project has gone through five drafts, incorporating changes derived from sectoral reports and technical opinions.
Precisely in that phase after the first public information some of the most sensitive changes were introduced, which now forces to go back a step in the procedure. The Government has opted for the urgent procedure in order not to further lengthen the process, but the planned timetable has been altered. The autonomous Executive had not given dates for approving the regulation, but intended it to be ready at the beginning of 2026.
The resolution of the Consellería does not specify which are the «substantial changes» that trigger a new public exposure period.
Among the most discussed modifications of the regulation is the one related to vehicle requirements, specifically the elimination of the exception that allowed hybrid cars not to meet the minimum length requirement. In the first versions of the draft, this exception existed and was the one that was submitted for public information. However, in later versions -from the third draft- the Government decided to remove it, leaving the length reduction only for 100% electric vehicles or other alternative energies, and no longer opened a new period of allegations.
This change generated concern in the cab sector, especially among professionals who had acquired or planned to acquire hybrid vehicles under the initial text. The Govern defended that the participation process was already closed, while some cab drivers questioned that a relevant technical condition had been altered without the possibility of expressing their opinion.
The resolution justifies the urgent processing in a specific context: the validity of the decree law that keeps new cab licenses and VTC authorizations suspended until the definitive regulation enters into force, at the latest, until February 21, 2026, when the annual extension provided for in the decree law expires….
Now, the regulation will have to pass this new public exposure period before it returns to the Consell Consultiu to issue its final opinion.
As this is a retroactive action limited to the public information process -and not an annulment of the procedure-, the decree must return to the Consell Consultiu for an opinion once the allegations have been analyzed, without it being necessary to repeat the sectorial reports already issued.
Thus, once this second public information periodthe General Directorate of Mobility shall analyze the allegationsIf necessary, make further adjustments and to forward the project to the Consell Consultiu. Only after receiving its final favorable opinion, the decree may be submitted to the Consell de Govern for approval.
For now, the regulation called to order the future of the cab and Uber in Ibiza is once again open to citizen participation, not by political will, but by express demand of the highest advisory body of the Autonomous Community.
La entrada Twist in the cab and Uber regulation in Ibiza: the Consultiu forces a new public exhibition. se publicó primero en La Voz De Ibiza.
]]>La entrada Economy calls for a major reordering of the regulations that will define the future of cabs and Uber in Ibiza se publicó primero en La Voz De Ibiza.
]]>The CES considers that, as it is drafted, the decree disperses common rules to cab and VTC in several blocks, duplicating articles or repeating contents with small variations. It therefore proposes a «positive» reordering, very detailed, which would simplify and give more solidity to the text.
«The ESC proposes an alternative structure (…) in which all aspects common to cab and ATC are located, and Title III is reserved only for the specificities of the cab,» the brief says.
The objective is clear: «This proposed regulatory reorganization would contribute to meeting the requirements of clarity and internal consistency».
The ESC also criticizes the fact that the current decree dedicates Title III to cabs, when, according to its analysis, it could be clearer to reserve this title for «specificities» and keep what is common in a single block. It stresses that this decision is not only a formal issue, but also affects legal certainty and the internal perception of the text.
Another focus of the opinion is the need to emphasize a key element of the balance between cab and VTC: the public nature of the former. The ESC points out that the decree mentions this category, but does so insufficiently and without the necessary emphasis.
The advisory body suggests that this condition be made more explicit in the articles and not only in a dispersed manner. According to the CES, this reinforcement would more solidly justify specific cab obligations -such as continuous availability, holiday coverage, high season service, priority of certain time slots or adaptation for people with reduced mobility- that do not apply to VTCs to the same extent.
In other words: the ESC believes that the decree should make it clearer why cab and VTC cannot be regulated in exactly the same way.
The ESC also detects «minor inconsistencies» and drafting errors. The most obvious example is an article in the chapter dedicated to VTCs in which «public cab service» is inappropriately mentioned.
The observation is literal: «In the article relating to the ATC, reference is made to the public cab service, which is an inconsistency that should be corrected».
The ESC clarifies that these inconsistencies do not necessarily derive from the separation between titles, but from the complexity of the decree itself and the process of compiling different versions.
The opinion also suggests strengthening the legal argumentation of the preamble, especially in terms of environmental criteria and limiting the number of VTC per island. The ESC states: «It would be advisable to deepen the motivation of the environmental criteria applied in the text».
According to the CES, the more solid this motivation is, the more robust will be the defense of the decree against possible appeals, a delicate aspect because the VTC sector usually litigates this type of regulations.
The ruling comes as the Govern is already working with a fifth draft of the decree, whose function is precisely to integrate technical and language improvements. The V5 includes:
terminology corrections and adaptation to inclusive language,
cleaning of confusing items,
formal adjustments to ensure internal consistency.
But it does not modify the substantive elements already fixed in V4:
minimum length of vehicles,
five-yearly review of the number of licenses,
hiring and closed price of the cab,
VTC price limits (max. +75% in high demand),
disciplinary regime and service obligations.
In summary: the V5 confirms that the decree is practically ready, pending only the final legal reports.
As the General Directorate of Mobility explained to La Voz de Ibiza, the procedure now continues with:
Legal Services of the Conselleria, which must issue a report.
Consell Consultiu, which will issue an opinion on the text.
Consell de Govern, which will approve it definitively.
From that moment on, the decree will come into force and the period for municipalities and councils to adapt their ordinances within a year will be opened.
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La entrada Economy calls for a major reordering of the regulations that will define the future of cabs and Uber in Ibiza se publicó primero en La Voz De Ibiza.
]]>La entrada Cab and Uber regulations move forward, although IB Dona asks to polish the language to avoid «sexist uses». se publicó primero en La Voz De Ibiza.
]]>The gender report is favorable, but proposes adjustments in tone and follow-up. IB Dona considers that the decree presents a «very careful and coherent» language, although it recommends «introducing some specific adjustments» to avoid sexist uses. It suggests substituting formulations such as «user» for «user person» or «driver» for «driving person», in order to unify the wording throughout the articles.
The opinion also proposes strengthening the measurement of the service: it proposes «introducing indicators and data disaggregated by sex (licenses, drivers, complaints) to evaluate the service and its impact», which would make it possible to assess the evolution of equality in a historically male-dominated sector . It also mentions the convenience of reinforcing accessibility and security criteria in the contracting channels.
Despite these recommendations, IB Dona concludes that it does not detect differentiated impacts on women or men. «No situation of gender inequality has been detected and it is considered that its implementation will not have gender-related impacts,» it states. The agency rates the standard as «not relevant» from a gender impact standpoint, meaning that it sees no adverse effects, although it does advise improving the wording.
The report of the Consell de Consum is also favorable, with two abstentions – the Association of Consumers and Users of the Balearic Islands and the Balearic School of Consumer Affairs. The body does not introduce modifications, but puts the focus on the novelties of the regulation, especially on the regulation of VTC prices, included in the draft.
The document recalls that VTCs are not subject to tariffs, but includes the clause of the decree according to which, «to avoid abuses, in circumstances of high demand it cannot exceed 75% of its usual price». In addition, it highlights the obligation to publish prices on the web: «companies and intermediaries must make available to the public information on the prices they apply to users on their website». These are measures already included in the original text, which Consumo validates as a control mechanism.
The council also notes that closed pricing in cabs is one of the «great novelties» of the decree, although it makes no additional comments on its implementation. The vote, according to the minutes, took place without interventions and without previous allegations: «There were no interventions» and the text was reported favorably.
With the reports of IB Dona and Consumo already incorporated into the file, the decree faces its final stretch. The General Directorate of Mobility confirmed to La Voz de Ibiza that the text has also been sent to the Legal Services of the Conselleria, which must issue a report.
With this opinion and all the accumulated documentation, the project will be submitted to the Consell Consultiu, responsible for issuing the last mandatory report before the Govern definitively approves the regulation in the Consell de Govern.
La entrada Cab and Uber regulations move forward, although IB Dona asks to polish the language to avoid «sexist uses». se publicó primero en La Voz De Ibiza.
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