Costa del Sol taxi drivers to protest on September 15

Taxi drivers on the Costa del Sol are to go on strike on Thursday, September 15 in protest at rules being considered by the Junta de Andalucía.

The rules if approved and enacted will effectively open the door to private hire companies that have already been implemented elsewhere in the country, including Uber, Cabify and Bolt.

It is understood that the regulations being drawn up are to comply with a decree from Madrid that says companies must be regulated by the regional authorities. If they are not, these companies will be restricted to operating between towns, for example from Sevilla to Fuengirola or to the airport in Malaga.

Without such regulations, it would effectively bar these ride-hailing companies from operating within towns and cities.

The proposed regulations will allow the ride-hailing companies to operate within Andalucía from October 1, hence the protest. Existing cabbies believe that these companies offer unfair competition and that the proposed regulations do not go far enough in providing them protection.

The Confederation of Taxis of the Costa del Sol has not called for a general strike, but rather has asked half of the drivers to continue working as normal. The balance have been asked to travel to Sevilla to join the protest.

Costa del Sol taxis across the region are expected to be in short supply whilst the area around the Ministry of Development in Sevilla is expected to be heavily congested.

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