The new insular order for loading and unloading for the taxi sector agreed by the Consell and the Ibiza councils has caused division among taxi drivers, mainly around the elimination of the preference for cab drivers in the municipality of the cab rank when there is a queue of people waiting. This change in the regulation, which is expected to be approved by the Consell de Govern on Monday, will have a special impact on passenger pick-up at the airport.
Precisely, the president of the Sant Josep Taxi Association, Antoni Riera, who in turn is also head of the Island Federation of Taxi de la Illa d’Ibiza (Fitie), warns that this change could generate “many conflicts” among cab drivers when determining if there are more people waiting than local cabs at the stops to meet the demand.
He also disagrees that this rule, which he describes as ambiguous, will lead to an improvement in service. “It will be clear over time, but I don’t think so. When there is a crowd of people at the rank on avenida Santa Eulària de Vila, it loads faster, but the queues are the same. The same thing will happen at the airport. If everyone respects the rule and [taxi drivers from outside the municipality] leave when there are no people, nothing will happen. In July and August nothing will happen, but when there are not many people waiting there may be conflicts between cab drivers,” he says.
Riera admits that he is “a little surprised” that the City Council of Sant Josep has accepted this condition in the new island taxi regulation. “The mayor should be looking out for us. He must have only been thinking about the service,” says Riera, while regretting that they have not been “consulted” either.
Precisely, the president of the Fitie criticizes that the new insular order has been negotiated behind the backs of taxi drivers. “We did not expect it. It has caught us unawares. They have agreed to it in the shadows and it was deliberate with malice aforethought,” he says, adding: “No one is looking out for us. There is no politician, nor the Consell, lookinig after us, and we are the citizens here, the ones who vote”.
Shameful taxi rate hike
This last criticism is also directed at the “shameful” rise (3.3%) of the rates which have been in place since 2014. “They say it is a first rise to enable the Consell to make further rises and although they say they are willing, raising the rates eight years later by only five cents is a shame,” he says.
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