Barcelona’s long running taxi versus VTC battle has entered a new phase after the Catalan Government unveiled a draft law that would sharply curb private hire vehicles in the Barcelona metropolitan area, prompting a legal onslaught from VTC companies and their unions. The industry body Unauto says it will take the fight to Catalan, Spanish and European courts, branding the proposal an ‘abuse of power’ and vowing: ‘We will not let them kill us’.
The bill, presented this week, would confine VTCs to interurban journeys outside the Barcelona Metropolitan Area and keep them from street pick ups in the city. Unauto’s executive president, José Manuel Berzal, argues the plan amounts to the ‘extinction’ of the sector in Catalonia, claiming thousands of livelihoods are at stake and accusing the Government of acting ‘as a hostage of the taxi lobby’. A workers’ union, the Sindicato Libre de Transporte, warns that between 4,000 and 6,000 direct and indirect jobs could be in jeopardy if the text passes.
Berzal says many VTC drivers are people with limited employment options, including over 55s and recent migrants. ‘To leave them without an income is extremely serious’, he told reporters, while also alleging that the executive has drafted the law ‘behind the sector’s back’. The association insists nothing is settled yet and is lobbying parties in the Catalan Parliament, where the governing PSC will need support from other groups to approve the measure.
As part of a two track strategy, the sector plans to table an alternative bill it says would better address Barcelona’s mobility needs. Among its planks are permission for urban services for vehicles with a ‘Zero’ environmental label, legalisation of shared trips for taxis and VTCs alike, and the removal of what it calls arbitrary hurdles such as mandatory wait times before pick up and minimum vehicle length requirements. The group also flags a protest of VTC vehicles outside the Territori department on 23 September, coinciding with a meeting at which they are to be formally presented with the Government’s proposal.
If the law proceeds as drafted, industry representatives say they will file claims for damages that could reach €80 million. They also forecast a hit of about €326 million from lost wages and forgone social contributions and fuel taxes should the sector be dismantled. By contrast, they argue that allowing the 3,700 VTC licences in Catalonia to operate fully would yield €445 million in activity and create up to 10,500 jobs. At present, the sector says only around 2,500 of those licences are active due to legal uncertainty and restrictions.
The rhetoric around the bill is heating up. In broadcast remarks, Berzal accused Barcelona taxi leader Tito Álvarez of wielding excessive sway over the Territori department led by Sílvia Paneque, a claim the Government has not publicly endorsed. For the taxi side, the draft law is framed as a rebalancing that protects a licensed public service and reduces duplication on city streets.
What happens next turns on parliamentary arithmetic and on how far the Government is willing to adjust the text. If it digs in, Barcelona could face months of demonstrations and a complex court battle even after any law is passed. If it compromises, the city will still have to decide what mix of taxis and VTCs best fits its congestion, pollution and public transport goals. For now, both sides are braced for a fight that looks set to define urban mobility policy in Catalonia this autumn.
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