The Cabify application planted around 200 suitcases around the Sants railway station this Wednesday morning to denounce the difficulties that citizens have in finding taxis in Barcelona and also cars with a VTC license in relation to most large cities. of the world. The protest by this multinational caused the indignation of many taxi drivers.
Company sources stressed that for years the number of tourists in the Catalan capital has not allowed it to rise, “despite this the number of taxi licenses is the same as in 1980. At the moment we are reaching a limit situation.” The suitcases arranged for the protest carried several messages, in case of “arriving by high-speed train and having to wait to leave Sants” or “the regulations do not allow us to give you the service you deserve.”
Because with this protest Cabify also wants to denounce the restrictions on its activity imposed by the Catalan administrations. “Barcelona has such outstanding events ahead as the Primavera Sound, the Copa del América or the Formula 1 Grand Prix. These events, along with other festivals, fairs, congresses, sporting events or concerts, and the ordinary activity of the city, “They cause a collapse of mobility that benefits no one.”
“When requests for events, flight, train or cruise arrivals skyrocket – company sources added – Cabify cannot provide service to half of its requests. On average, this year, the company is not being able to cover 30% of travel requests in Barcelona. This poses serious problems for citizens. This is why queues are so common in Sants and the airport. “The waits to access a discretionary transport alternative in Barcelona are 20% higher than in other cities in Spain.”
Cabify’s protest sparked outrage among many taxi drivers. Shortly after starting, Alberto Álvare alias Tito, founder and spokesperson of the main group of taxi drivers in the metropolitan area of Barcelona, Elite Taxi, declared that the waits in Sants are mainly due to the problems presented by access to the infrastructure, and that Cabify is operating in the city without the corresponding urban licenses that must be processed by the Barcelona Metropolitan Area (AMB).
“In addition, months ago we had to have a decree from the Generalitat that regulated the operation of the applications. How is it possible that these applications facilitate the work of cars that are operating without complying with the rules? We are being very patient. These days we will decide in assembly what mobilizations and protests we will carry out. You have to hit the table. “The administrations are not keeping their promises.”