The Sant Antoni City Council has closed the deadline for the submission of applications for seasonal taxi licenses, which operate only four months of the year from May 15 to cover the increased summer demand, and for the first time not all of them have been filled. Of the 94 temporary authorizations, taxi drivers, both fixed and salaried license owners, have applied for just 85. All submitted documentation must now be reviewed and the definitive list published.
The first deputy mayor and head of the Department of Mobility of Sant Antoni, Joan Torres, says he is “very concerned” about what occurred, which he attributes to the fact that the Consell now requires the application of a new regulation on the metrological control of taximeters, which has been in force since 2020, which “complicates the installation of the taximeter for the workshops”.
This situation affects only vehicles that will operate seasonal licenses, which are obliged to install the taximeter every year. Taxis with fixed licenses are exempt. All of them must, however, pass a metrological control (to verify that the fare is correctly measured according to the route), although the Consell gives a margin of one year to do so.
The presidents of the two associations of taxi owners of Sant Antoni point out that “the problem” lies in the workshops. “A bottleneck will be created”, indicates José Prats, of the Association of Sant Antoni de Portmany. Prats says that, apart from the fact that there are only three workshops authorized to install the taximeter, with the application of the regulatory change they can now only install “one taximeter per day, when before there were seven or eight”. As far as this newspaper has been able to ascertain, there are at least two more workshops that are in the process of obtaining administrative authorization to install taximeters.
Antoni Palerm, of the Portmany Bay Taxi Drivers Association, which is the majority, admits that the excessive burden on the workshops may have a bearing on the fact that not all the seasonal licences have been filled, but he believes that “the more realistic reason” is the lack of cars because it now takes “five to six months” for the concessionaires to supply them.
Lack of taxi drivers
For his part, a spokesman for the association of salaried cab drivers of Sant Antoni adds another cause: “the lack of drivers”, although he also considers that “the main problem” is that the workshops have to install the taximeter. “Every year they force us to install the taximeter. We have been caught unawares. There are not enough installers on Ibiza to fit them in such a short time”, he points out.
The driver adds that it is “impossible” for seasonal license holders covering the first shift to present all the documentation before April 20, which is the deadline. “I can’t find any installer who can guarantee me that they can install the taximeter within that deadline.” In addition, Sant Antoni requires that the tax, which is 4,000 euros (1,000 euros per month), be paid in advance.
The employees’ spokesperson explains that only the dealer of one make of car does the pre-installation of the wiring and the rest have to request a certificate from the manufacturer. With this, the installer in the Ibiza workshop has to contact a laboratory on the mainland so that an engineer can show him the steps to follow. “He has to pass him a photograph of each step. That’s why it’s normal that only one car is done per day,” says the employee representative. Then you have to pass the Technical Vehicle Inspection.
Precisely, the first deputy mayor highlights the case of a taxi driver with a fixed licence who a month ago bought a new vehicle and, unaware of the regulatory change, went to the garage to install the taximeter as usual. They were then surprised to be told by the MOT technicians that it could not pass the inspection. They have a licence and cannot work, laments Torres.
Torres fears “a disbandment”
“The workshops are still not ready,” says Torres, who calls on the council to seek “an immediate solution and not to put obstacles in the way“. The first deputy mayor stresses that some taxi drivers have already told him that if this issue is not facilitated, they will also give up their seasonal licence. “This uncertainty could lead to a stampede of seasonal drivers and create a serious problem in the summer,” he stresses.
Torres questions “whether the Consell wants there to be seasonal taxis this summer”. He believes that “the normal thing to do” would be to allow taximeters to be installed now as before and also to give a period of one year to adapt to the new regulations.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.