- Title: Tourists stranded as taxis drivers in anti-Uber protest
- Date: 27th July 2017
- Summary: MADRID, SPAIN (JULY 27, 2017) (REUTERS) TAXI AHEAD OF DEMONSTRATORS AS THEY MARCH FRONT OF THE DEMONSTRATION / PROTESTERS HOLDING BANNER READING (Spanish) "We demand that the law of 1/30 is followed" SMOKE BILLOWING ABOVE PROTESTERS AS THEY LET OFF FIRE CRACKERS / MADRID SKYLINE IN THE BACKGROUND TWO PROTESTERS LIGHTING UP A FIRECRACKER AND THROWING IT, FIRECRACKERS EXPLODING VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS HOLDING PLACARDS / SOME READING (Spanish) "For the 1/30 law to be followed" PROTESTERS MARCHING AND CHANTING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MADRID TAXI DRIVER, JOSE LUIS DEL VALLE SAYING: "We keep demanding the law be followed. This law says that there should be one Uber for every 30 taxis and that must be followed. Now the situation in Madrid is 7 Ubers for every 30 taxis, the proportion is 1 to 7." PROTESTER CHANTING, "1 (UBER) FOR EVERY 30 (TAXIS)" POLICE WATCHING PROTESTERS PROTESTER ENCOURAGING THE CROWD AS THEY CHANT PROTESTER HOLDING A SMOKING CAN VARIOUS OF DOZENS OF TAXIS PARKED IN PARKING AREAS ATOCHA TRAIN STATION VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WAITING FOR TRANSPORT OUTSIDE STATION (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOURIST FROM THE U.S.A., LISA LAUGHLIN, SAYING: "There are no taxis? They are striking hear too? Oh! That's annoying!" (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOURIST FROM THE U.S.A., ALI, SAYING: "We can't find a taxi today so we are going to find an Uber driver but if this doesn't work out we will need to catch a bus to our hotel." (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) SPANIARD FROM CORDOBA, SPAIN, VICTORIA CASANA, SAYING: "Is there a taxi strike? We didn't know that, so we will wait for public transport. Let's try our luck." TAXI AVAILABLE OUTSIDE STATION VARIOUS OF PEOPLE AND TOURIST WAITING FOR THE BUS WITH LUGGAGE PEOPLE CHECKING PHONE FOR AN ALTERNATIVE FORM OF TRANSPORT CABIFY DRIVER LOADING PASSENGER'S LUGGAGE INTO HIS CAR CABIFY CAR LEAVING THE TRAIN STATION WITH PASSENGERS
- Embargoed: 10th August 2017 15:03
- Keywords: anti-Uber protest tourists stranded Cabify ride apps strike taxi Spain
- Location: MADRID, SPAIN
- City: MADRID, SPAIN
- Country: Spain
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Civil Unrest
- Reuters ID: LVA0016RHTMIV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Tourists and locals travelling to Madrid and Barcelona faced difficulties on Thursday (July 27) as taxi drivers called a 24-hour strike to protest against ride hailing apps Uber and Cabify which they say are breaking the law.
The ride-hailing apps are regulated in Spain under VTC licenses typically used for private, chauffeur-driven vehicles.
According to taxi unions, in Spain there is one VTC license for every 11 regular taxis, well over the 1/30 ratio established under Spanish law in 2015.
One driver said the proportion of Uber vehicles was even higher than 1/11.
The taxi drivers union say they are not opposed to the existence of the companies such as Uber and Cabify, but they are against them breaking the law and engaging in unfair competition. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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