Taxi sector in Andalucía piles on the pressure and calls a strike this weekend

Taxi drivers in Andalucía are planning to go on strike from 7pm on Friday 23 September, to 7am on Monday in protest at the regulations the Junta is drawing up for the ride-hailing sector, which they say do not go far enough.

The planned stoppage was announced in Seville on Thursday during the demonstration outside the Andalusian parliament building. The president of the Federation of Self-Employed Taxi Drivers (FAAT) in the region, Miguel Ruano, said the Junta is not negotiating with anybody about this issue, not with the taxis or other parliamentary groups or even town halls, and he insisted that the sector has to defend its future and ensure that customers are provided with a suitable service, with fares controlled by councils and supervised by the regional government, so the service is not in the hands of multinationals.

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The sector is not demanding that ride-hailing firms be banned, but is insisting on certain restrictions to the service they provide, for example that they have to be booked at least 15 minutes in advance and are not allowed to pick passengers up in certain areas. It believes the ride-hailing drivers will ignore the rules unless they are strictly enforced, creating unfair competition for the taxis.

The Junta is responding to a government decree which makes regional authorities responsible for regulating the ride-hailing sector if those vehicles are to be allowed to operate within towns from 1 October, and it says it is trying to guarantee that taxis and ride-hailing vehicles can co-exist in order to offer a better service to the public.