Majorca's taxi drivers, who were due to stage a 24-hour stoppage on Monday, have called off that action and all other strikes and protests. This follows an agreement with the regional transport ministry under which there are to be modifications to the bus services to tourist resorts.
The government has agreed to scrap one of the two services to Calvia resorts. The original plan had envisaged separate services to Magalluf and Santa Ponsa; there will now be just the one. The other routes - to the bay of Alcudia, Cala Millor/Cala Bona, and Cala d'Or/Porto Petro - remain unaltered. However, the frequency of services is to be lowered for each route and the fares are to be increased.
The lowest fare of five euros for the Calvia routes goes up to seven euros. For Alcudia it will be ten euros, Cala d'Or nine euros, with Cala Millor yet to be determined, but probably twelve euros. Another route - to Cala Ratjada - is planned for 2018. For Alcudia and Calvia there will be twelve services a day, Cala d'Or will have ten and Cala Millor fourteen.
In each case, where applicable, the routes will also serve municipalities with 15,000 or more residents. For the Alcudia service, for instance, it had already been announced that it will stop in Inca.
The government has also agreed that the services should operate all year round and not just between May and October. A new shuttle service between the airport and the intermodal station in Palma, which the government announced late on in the negotiations, has been dropped. Instead, there is to be a direct service between the airport and Son Espases Hospital.