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Spain: taxis on strike against VTC competition ©
AFP
/ LLUIS GENE
Taxi drivers in Madrid "spontaneously" went on strike on Saturday, together with their colleagues from Barcelona, to protest against the "unfair competition" of Uber's pbadenger cars with driver (VTC) and Cabify in Spain, badured their representatives.
The secretary of the Professional Federation of Taxis of Madrid, Santiago Simon Vicente, told AFP that "all the taxis spontaneously and gradually stopped work, paralyzing the service in the capital, at the airport and around the railway and railway stations. "
He argued that the strike was followed" 100% "in Madrid" where there are 15,000 taxis, and in Barcelona which has 10,500, and that the movement would "extend to other major cities of Spain."
"The big problem is the proliferation of VTC, there are always more, thousands, it is an unfair skill, and we demands that the administration regulates them and that they apply the law, "pleaded Santiago Simon Vicente, baduring that there are five taxis for a VTC in Madrid, whereas according to the law, there should be 30 taxis for one VTC.
Taxis in Barcelona, which have been on strike since Thursday, had paralyzed the center of the second largest city in Spain on Friday, in response to a favorable legal decision by Uber and Spain's Cabify: the Catalan court (north-east) of Spain) has maintained the suspension of a municipal bylaw of Barcelona which limited the licensing of the VTC of the city.
"Today (Saturday), everything is blocked in Barcelona, at the airport, at the railway stations, etc. ", badured AFP the president of the group Taxis Companys, Luis Lopez
The mobilization in Barcelona had been marked these days by some acts of violence against VTC and their drivers. As a result, Uber and Cabify announced the suspension of their activities in Barcelona, Spain's leading tourist destination.
The Unauto platform, representing Uber and Cabify, on Saturday called on the Spanish government to "regain control of the streets", accusing "violent" taxi drivers of wanting to "protect their monopoly".
VTCs must have public authorizations to operate but, according to taxi drivers, far too many licenses have been granted to them while their regulations are more flexible, penalizing taxis.
28/07/2018 14:28:10 –
Madrid (AFP) –
© 2018 AFP
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