Tried hailing a cab in Palma lately, it's impossible and Palma City Council is being blamed.
Biel Moragues, president of the Mallorca Taxi Association of Self-Employed Taxi Drivers, today demanded solutions from Palma City Council and the Balearic Government, given the “chaotic and alarming” situation in the Balearic capital, where the sector is “absolutely overwhelmed” due to the influx of tourists.
“In the 26 years that I have been president of the Association, I have never seen a situation like this,” Moragues said at a press conference, explaining that “there is a lot of work, but it cannot be covered”.
Moragues said that all transport in the Balearics “is overwhelmed”, with fewer hire cars than in 2019. “Anyone who cannot find a means of transport calls us,” he said.
Among the main problems in the sector, Moragues pointed out that there is a “serious” lack of cabbies.
In fact, at the moment, there are more than 400 taxis off the roads because there are no drivers, which is why Moragues has asked the City Council to “make it easier to get a taxi driver’s licence”.
In Ibiza, for example, they have eliminated the entrance exams.
He would also like to see a single communication system introduced so all over the city's 1,200 cabbies are connected to the same call centre.