The Ibiza City Council has reached the Easter holidays without having signed the new agreement with the Ibiza Island Taxi Federation (Fitie) for the management of radio taxi services via GPS. Thus, the only authorized GPS operator is Nitax, through telephone 971 45 45 45, but it does not have enough taxis to meet the demand.
Precisely, after the Council announced last Tuesday 5th the agreement reached with the Fitie for the signing of the new agreement and the suspension of inspections by the PolicÃa Local to verify that cab drivers are connected to the only authorized operator, there was “a stampede” of drivers who had switched to Nitax, according to its representative on the island, Antoni Torres.
In dribs and drabs, after the cut-off of the main GPS operated by Fitie, through 971 33 33 33, (but with an agreement already terminated with the Association of Autonomous Taxi Drivers of the City of Ibiza) some taxi drivers connected to the only authorized operator, that of Nitax. But the cut lasted a few days and most of the Nitax registrations returned to the main GPS after the announcement of the agreement with Fitie.
Although the new agreement has not yet been signed, the Fitie GPS is still operational in Ibiza Town, but the telephone advertised by the Town Hall and the one displayed at taxi ranks is Nitax’s because it is the only one authorised.
When the City Council announced the agreement for the signing of the agreement with Fitie, the Councilor for Mobility, Aitor Morrás, was confident that it could be processed “in a matter of days”. More than a week has passed and Easter Week has arrived, with the arrival of tourists and a considerable increase in the demand for taxi services without a new agreement and with only one authorized operator.
Up to an hour’s wait for a taxi
The representative of Nitax in Ibiza recognizes that the central operator cannot guarantee all the services requested because there are not enough taxis. Now there are only 25 vehicles connected to Nitax, but, counting the three days off a week (although the Counsil has exceptionally exempted them, many cab drivers prefer to rest), they only work “between eight or ten hours” every day. “And half the time they are busy. An hour can go by without there being a taxi available”, admits Torres.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.