The law prioritizing taxis over chauffeur-driven vehicles (VTC) begins its process in Parliament. The PSC (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party), Junts (Juntos), ERC (Electrical Workers' Party), Comuns (Comuns), and the CUP (Cup) registered the bill this Thursday with the intention of it coming into force next year. The text's objective is to regulate the sector and establish functions for each type of service: taxis, VTCs (Vehicles with Chauffeurs), limousines, and high-disposal vehicles (HDVs), a new type similar to VTCs.

In a Barcelona where the battle between taxis and VTCs continues to be won by the former, a new chapter opens with the acquisition of FreeNow, the most widely used mobile app for hailing taxis in the city. It has been acquired by the American company Lyft, Uber's main rival in its home market. The deal was announced in mid-April and only closed a week ago. These months have been dedicated to complying with all the legal requirements to operate in the 180 European cities where FreeNow is present, with 150,000 taxi drivers. Aside from Spain, its app can be downloaded in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, France, and Austria.

Uber, the ride-hailing platform (VTC), continues to support Barcelona and, despite the imminent approval of the new Catalan taxi and VTC regulations, assures the media that it has no intention of leaving: "We are here to stay." The company stated this at a meeting with the media on Tuesday, a message it ratified with the announcement of the launch of Uber Green, its 100% electric car service, in the Catalan capital.

Vehicles for hire will be able to continue making urban routes, but only if their vehicle is over 4.9 metres long – usually a feature of high-end cars, a vehicle is linked to the license and they have been providing the service for the last year, among other requirements.