As the London taxi industry demos intensify, Uber and Cabify suspend operations in Barcelona on the back of protests

via taxi-point http://bit.ly/2t01bVf

As the demonstrations surrounding the proposed taxi exclusion from Tottenham Court Road intensify, it's been revealed via social media that the protests will be shifting away from that area from the week beginning February 4.

According to the Independent Taxi Alliance (ITA) twitter feed there will not be a protest on Monday February 4, protests will resume at an alternative location on February 6.

There may be some positive news on the horizon as it has emerged that TfL may be willing to discuss the situation, but we are awaiting confirmation of this.

Meanwhile, Uber and Cabify are to suspend operations in Barcelona following the Catalan Governments ruling that ride-hailing services could only pick up passengers after a 15-minute delay from the time of booking.

Reuters have reported that the Catalan Governments ruling followed mass protests by taxi drivers in Barcelona who complained that the services did not operate on a fair playing field.

Uber and Cabify announcing the suspension of its services in Barcelona falls just before the city hosts the annual Mobile World Congress.

Uber have stated that the restrictions have left them with no choice but to suspend UberX, whilst Cabify have stated that it was disappointed that the city had capitulated to the demands of the taxi industry. Whilst Barcelona have adopted new legislation, the taxi protests in Madrid rumble on, with no resolution in sight between the taxi industry and Madrid authorities.

February 02, 2019 at 01:32PM http://bit.ly/2UVulRY Steve Kenton THESE POSTS ARE NOT OUR ENDORSEMENT