At the height of the high season it is very difficult to get a taxi in Mallorca. The low frequency of public transport and the lack of rental cars are factors that increase the demand for taxis in Mallorca. Even so, it is evident that the current offer of taxis in Mallorca is not enough, when in the middle of the summer season the floating population of the island increases considerably and it is noticeable in the large traffic jams on the roads or in the long queues at taxi ranks and bus stops.

The Associació Sindical d’Autònoms del Taxi de Mallorca, Taxis Pimem, is calling for a temporary increase in the number of taxi licences in order to cope with the temporary collapse of the tourist season. According to their communiqué, “the problem will not be solved with the arrival of large multinational transport companies on the island”, referring to car hire companies with drivers, the so-called VTC licences such as Uber or Cabify, which operate in the cities of Madrid and Barcelona, but for the moment the Balearic legislation does not allow this type of service to enter the islands.

The lack of taxis in Mallorca is causing many taxi drivers in Palma to have to pick up clients from other municipalities. Thus, the Associació Sindical d’Autònoms del Taxi de Mallorca, Taxis Pimem, recognises that the current situation of lack of cars “has never been seen before”. Above all, they blame the decrease of between 50,000 and 80,000 hire cars as one of the main factors that have caused this situation. Faced with the shortage of hire cars, “tourists ask for and need taxis to get to their accommodation”, they point out in their communiqué.

Biel Moragues, president of Taxis Pimem, assures that “the solution to these temporary problems is not to let international companies arrive with predatory business models that undermine the self-employed and small businesses with unfair practices and job insecurity”. The arrival of potential multinational companies such as Uber or Cabify threatens the taxi transport model in Mallorca. But it should be noted that current legislation does not allow the issuing of a sufficient number of VTC licences to allow the entry of these services to the islands.

Keys to understanding the lack of taxis in Mallorca during the high season

  • Increase in Mallorca’s floating population: tourists, non-regular residents, students and workers returning in summer, as opposed to no increase in the supply of taxi services.
  • Deficient public transport: train service that reduces frequency during the tourist season; inter-city bus timetables that do not meet the demand of tourists and residents for mobility from tourist areas and towns to Palma and vice versa.
  • The arrival of cruise ships in the port of Palma increases the demand for the taxi service, especially when organised excursions have not been contracted or there is a low frequency of the EMT line 1 that links the city centre with the Palma Maritime Station.
  • Fewer rental cars: the decrease of between 50,000 and 80,000 rental cars.

Recommendations for ordering a taxi in Mallorca during the summer

  1. Be foresighted. If you know you are going to use the taxi service, try to book it in advance (at least 24 hours in advance) by calling the radio taxi belonging to the municipality of origin.
  2. Go to the official taxi stops. If it is too late and you have not been able to book a taxi, if possible, try to get a taxi from official taxi ranks. Taxi drivers are usually given preference to pick up customers from taxi ranks.
  3. If you are near a hotel or restaurant, you can ask them to order a taxi service for you, as many of these establishments usually have a direct line to the radio taxi switchboards.
  4. If your journey will be a return trip and you know when you will need them, you can book the return journey in advance.
  5. Taxi sharing. If you find yourself in the long queue at the taxi rank, you can talk to other passengers to see if your journey or destination coincides.

 

taxi en mallorca