I am rather intrigued. Why does the Balearic government put itself on a head-on collision course with some of the most powerful groups in the islands? First it was the tourist tax which was slammed by local hoteliers and now they have decided to take on Palma taxi drivers with their plans for an airport to resort bus service. Has anyone ever wondered why an airport to resort bus service wasn't introduced years ago? Well, the simple answer is ... taxi drivers.
Now, they are always going to oppose the bus routes and in some ways you can see their point. The airport is their main livelihood during the summer and if you have just spent out heavily on a taxi licence, you are not going to give this discounted form of competition a warm welcome. As I have said in this space before there is already an excellent bus service to the main bus terminal in the Plaza España from the airport, so why is the Balearic government making life difficult for themselves? Why don't they just promote the airport bus service and try and connect it with bus services to the resorts which leave from the Plaza España?
This is probably the most simple anwer and would avoid a major showdown with taxi drivers. This dispute with the cabbies is not going to end any time soon and further protests, like the one seen in Palma on Wednesday, are already being planned. The government is right about the bus service but the cost will be high.