Barcelona cabbies launch legal action against Uber and Cabify

Barcelona cabbies have announced that they are to launch legal action against ride-hailing services Uber and Cabify.

The impending action, which was announced on Thursday, centres around fraud as well as other offences.

It was reported in PHYS.ORG that the Elite Taxi Group, an organisation which represents approximately 2,000 drivers in Barcelona, will lodge the action in Madrid against 11 firms and 15 individuals, they will also be taking on Uber and Cabify.

This is the latest in a long line of attempts by registered taxi drivers in several countries to stop the proliferation of less regulated services which they believe provide unfair competition. 

Accusations range from fraud to tax infringements, as well as money-laundering, tax and breaching legislation on workers' rights. 

The Elite Taxi Association won a victory in the courts in 2017 after the European Court of Justice made a ruling stating that Uber is a transportation company and should be regulated as such. 

This is the latest volley fired by the Spanish taxi industry, who have also taken to the streets in protest, calling for a curtailment of ride-hailing operators activities.

The protest resulted in new legislation being adopted which included the requirement of customers of ride-hailing services to book a ride at least 15 minutes in advance.

Image Source: Flickr

Image Author: Francis Lenn