Taxi drivers want to retire once and for all the closed rate, which allows the user to know in advance the price of the ride, which is mainly used by taxi drivers who work with the Free Now, Uber and Bolt applications.
The usual negotiations at this time of the taxi drivers themselves with the Institut Metropolità del Taxi (Imet) regarding the rates for next year's service revealed the latest episode of the taxi war, of a good part of the sector against the dedicated digital platforms to intermediation.
The fact is that just yesterday Alberto Álvarez, alias Tito, from Élite Taxi, the main association of taxi drivers in the metropolitan area, wanted to denounce that the Imet proposes to the union for 2024 two increases of 2.7% of the rates one and two, from daytime and nighttime and weekends, and 8.7% from three, from the fixed price rate.
Álvarez understands that this administration proposal is truly a succulent favor to the platforms. “We find it shameful,” Álvarez himself explained. Only the privatized part of the sector can use it, approximately 48%. And on top of that, it barely accounts for five percent of the services carried out in the entire metropolitan area. Furthermore, within that 5% more than 90% are carried out by large platforms.”
Many Barcelona taxi drivers think that Free Now, Uber and Bolt actually try with their taxi services to make rates more flexible, to apply increases and discounts, according to their own conveniences, extremes that in their opinion, that of the taxi drivers, do nothing else. than distorting one of the key pillars of their service, which is always charged what the taximeter indicates.
Many other drivers, however, understand that the applications of these multinationals allow them to modernize their services and add new customers.
