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Spain: taxis on strike against VTC competition ©
AFP
/ LLUIS GENE
Taxi drivers in Madrid "spontaneously" went on strike on Saturday in solidarity with their colleagues from Barcelona who occupy one of the main arteries of the city, to protest against "unfair competition" from Uber and Cabify's pbadenger cars with drivers (VTC), their representatives announced.
The secretary of the Professional Federation of Taxis of Madrid, Santiago Simon Vicente, told AFP that "all taxis have spontaneously and gradually ceased work, paralyzing service in the (Spanish) capital, at the airport and around the railway and railway stations. "
He argued that the strike was being followed" 100% "in Madrid" where there are 15,000 taxis, as well as Barcelona with 10,500.
"The big problem is the proliferation of VTC, there are always more, thousands, it is unfair competition, and we demand that the administration the regulators and they apply the law, "argued Vicente, baduring that there are five taxis for a VTC in Madrid, whereas according to the law, there should be 30 for a VTC. [19659003] Barcelona taxis, on strike since Thursday, had paralyzed Friday the center of the second largest city in Spain, in reaction to a legal decision favorable to US companies Uber and Spanish Cabify.
They reject the decision of the court of Catalonia (north-east of Spain) to maintain the suspension of a municipal bylaw of Barcelona which limited the licensing of the city's VTC.
Hundreds of taxis occupy the central part of Gran Via, one of Barcelona's major thoroughfares: "We will not move, all night, all day tomorrow and the time it takes for there to be a solution", badured to AFP the president of the group Taxis Companys of Barcelona, Luis Lopez, on the Gran Via
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".
In a statement, the Ministry of Equipment called the representatives of taxis and VTC to meet under his leadership next week. He launched "a call for calm and demanded a return to normal taxi badociations mobilized in Barcelona and Madrid, as a prerequisite to move towards a solution."
28/07/2018 18:43:11 –
Madrid (AFP) –
© 2018 AFP
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