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Ten Malaga taxi drivers arrested for harassing those from ride-hailing firms during the recent strike

Ten Malaga taxi drivers arrested for harassing those from ride-hailing firms during the recent strike

National Police officers have been investigating two incidents which took place in September at the passenger pick-up area at Malaga Airport

J. Cano / I. Quirante

Malaga

Wednesday, 5 October 2022, 12:00

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Spain's National Police force has handed a court details of their investigations into incidents in Malaga during the strike by taxi drivers who were unhappy about the Junta de Andalucía’s new regulations for ride-hailing companies such as Uber, Cabify and Bolt.

The case is going to court after ten taxi drivers were detained by the police, accused of disturbing the peace and causing damage. They are said to have participated in the harassment of two drivers from ride-hailing companies in the passenger pick-up area at Malaga Airport.

The most serious incident was on 23 September, when the driver from the ride-hailing company said a group of taxi drivers surrounded him and the situation then turned violent. He claims one taxi driver aimed a kick at him, which he was able to avoid by dodging behind a suitcase, and another grabbed his mobile phone from inside his vehicle and smashed it on the ground.

The police identified nine taxi drivers who were allegedly involved on that occasion, and all have been detained.

The other incident had occurred a day earlier, on 22 September, and also at the airport. A taxi driver is accused of breaking a window of a ride-hailing vehicle which had gone to pick up a passenger.

New regulations

Despite protests by the sector all over the region, the Junta de Andalucía went ahead with its decree to regulate ride-hailing companies, a move which means that they have been able to continue to operate within municipalities from 1 October.

The government in Madrid had told the regional authorities that if they did not regulate the sector, the companies would only be able to operate between different places.

However, the new regulations do impose restrictions on these companies so they are not permitted to tout for customers at airports, stations, shopping centres, hotels, hospitals or similar locations and can only pick passengers up if booked in advance.

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