The Catalan Competition Authority (ACCO) has announced this Tuesday a penalty of 122,910 euros to the Élite Taxi association for violating free competition. Specifically, the ACCO accuses the association of having pressured the taxi drivers of the Metropolitan Area of ??Barcelona (AMB) so that they would not join the Uber application or other similar transport platforms.
According to the note from this body of the Generalitat, the conduct of Elite consisted of a “collective recommendation to boycott Uber and other operators”, which implies “a very serious infringement” of article 1.1 of the Catalan Law on the Defense of Competition .
The fact that is sanctioned dates back to the end of 2020, when it was made public that Uber would provide mediation services for the Taxi service through its application. When the measure became known, and always according to the ACA, Elite “launched a pressure campaign” with the aim of making taxi drivers not adhere to the platform, “spreading a negative and discrediting image of Uber through various media.” According to the note, he also put pressure on taxi drivers through different means, either through communications on social networks or on his website, or even through “direct calls” in which they were warned of “the negative consequences of working with the company”.
The regulatory body also reproaches the association led by Tito Álvarez for announcing that it would take measures “against taxi drivers who use the Uber application or other operators” such as the dissemination of personal data, license numbers and license plates. To this end, Elite also sent instructions to its members to carry out “actions of pressure and coercion” against the other taxi drivers collaborating with the transport platforms.
Thus, the Catalan Tribunal for the Defense of Competition concludes that the objective of Elite was “to hinder the provision of mediation services by Uber and other operators in the hiring of taxi routes in the AMB through the App” and, therefore, , “prevent the entry or consolidation in the market of the aforementioned companies”. In his opinion, these actions amounted to a boycott of Uber that also harmed both the taxi drivers themselves and the users.
