Uber lands in Mallorca

UBER landed in Mallorca this week with an initial fleet of 40 luxury vehicles.

The leading private transport company will operate with the logo Uber Mallorca and was due to enter service tomorrow (Thursday June 8) in Palma, Calvia, Andratx and Llucmajor following a favourable ruling by the Supreme Court that enabled this type of company, including rivals Cabify, to work on the island.

The regional government had filed a lawsuit against the awarding of licences for private transport vehicles, known as VTCs (Vehículo de Transporte con Conductor) in Spanish, together with the Mallorca Taxi Drivers’ Association, who are direct competitors of this kind of service and stand to lose a significant portion of business.

Finally the lawsuit was dismissed and 225 VTC licences were awarded in the Balearic Islands, with more vehicles set to dock in Mallorca over the coming weeks.

Their arrival has already been met with concern and outrage by the island’s taxi drivers and it is feared that the coexistence between both parties will be extremely complicated, which could lead to arguments and confrontations at the height of the summer tourist season this year.