There is a severe shortage of taxis in Palma at peak times at moment as a result of the cruise ship boom and some rather out-of-date rulings and business practices.
I think you can safely say that at any one time a third of Palma´s 1,000 cabs are parked at the airport waiting for that lucrative fare to Cala Ratjada.
Surely, there should be a limit on the number of taxis “on waiting mode” at the airport?
Secondly, only Palma cabs are allowed to pick-up in the city which seems pretty silly when there is a shortage of taxis.
Why can´t cabs from other areas pick up in Palma especially during the key summer months? As an example a Calvia taxi will go from say Palmanova to Palma airport but return empty because only Palma taxis can pick in the municipality of Palma.
This may work during the winter months but in the summer surely, cabbies need all the help they can get? I also think that through better organisation taxi ranks should always be fully “manned” in other words as one cab leaves another is available.
On busy cruise days in Palma you can wait up to 30 minutes for a cab or even longer depending on the time of the day.
I do not blame the taxi drivers, they have to make a living but perhaps the time has come for the Palma city council to take action and ensure that the city has an adequate supply of cabs at all times of the day and night.
The city may be split on the cruise ship issue but at the moment the city is not prepared for cruise passengers.