Elite Taxi proposes converting VTCs into temporary taxi licenses
The association proposes including the measure as an amendment to the law that will reach Parliament this week.
BarcelonaTito Álvarez, the public face of the taxi drivers' struggle in recent years, is returning to Barcelona to ensure the passage of the new law regulating the sector. This is supposedly the final chapter in his ongoing battle with platforms like Uber and Cabify, following his decision to move to Venezuela, where he has purchased a house on Margarita Island. Two days before the law reaches the Catalan Parliament, the spokesperson for Élite Taxi has proposed allowing ride-hailing vehicle owners to exchange their licenses for a temporary taxi license. According to Álvarez, this measure will ensure that "no one is excluded" and that there are enough taxis to meet demand, especially during peak times like weekend nights when taxis are hardest to find. "It's the solution. It provides legal certainty for women, and no one will lose their job. It will also professionalize the sector by eliminating unfair competition and the dynamic pricing used by the platforms," Álvarez argues regarding this new proposal, which addresses some of the criticisms raised by the platforms. The association, the most representative in the Barcelona metropolitan area, proposes including an amendment to the law so that VTC license holders can apply for a municipal taxi license, valid for seven years with an optional extension. These licenses would not cost the same as current taxi licenses, which are around €160,000. Alternatively, VTC owners could become "high-availability vehicles," a new category being considered for services booked at least two hours in advance and lasting at least one hour, which would operate like traditional VTCs.
Élite Taxi has calculated that some 1,500 VTC licenses could be incorporated as taxis, thus increasing the available fleet in the metropolitan area to around 12,000 taxis. There are approximately 4,000 licenses throughout Catalonia, but the vast majority operate in Barcelona. Álvarez believes this will end the conflict that has pitted taxis against VTCs in recent years. "This law will bring social peace," he asserts.
The proposal, for the moment, has not convinced the other taxi associations in the metropolitan area, including the Taxi Union of Catalonia (STAC), the Taxi Companys Group (ATC), and the Pakistani Taxi Drivers Association of Catalonia (Pak Taxi), but "they oppose it."
