Barcelona taxi 'slow protest' blocks main roads and leaves airport with no transport
Barcelona taxi 'slow protest' blocks main roads and leaves airport with no transport
ANOTHER taxi strike in protest over the presence of car-sharing schemes such as Cabify and Über has led a slow march blocking major roads in Barcelona and no transport for the airport.
About 400 taxis set off from Terminal 1 in first gear at 06.00 this morning for the start of a 24-hour strike, and by late morning, a tailback of five kilometrs was reported on the C-31 regional highway.
They blocked the main access routes for lorries heading to Barcelona port en route from the airport to the central Plaza de España in a bid to bring 'strategic points of the city to a halt.
Since the first flights landed in Barcelona this morning, incoming passengers – who had no idea about the strike until they arrived – had to find alternative transport, whilst only around six cabs were on duty to give free rides to disabled people or those who needed to go to hospitals.
The ramp up to the taxi rank in Terminal 1 is closed off.
Cabbies are calling for the number of licences for Cabify and Über cars to be drastically limited, as they consider these firms offer unfair competition.
A spokesperson for the protesters said they would 'carry on until they dropped' in their fight against what they call 'professional intrusion'.