Barcelona's Élite Taxi Union fined nearly €123,000 for pressuring drivers not to join Uber

Barcelona's Élite Taxi union has been slapped with a hefty fine of €122,910 by the Catalan competition authorities (ACCO) for coercing taxi drivers to refrain from using ride-hailing platforms like Uber, according to an announcement made on Tuesday.

ACCO maintains that the union's actions constitute infringement of Spanish competition law 15/2007. The authorities allege that Élite Taxi initiated a pressure campaign against Uber in late 2020, intentionally discouraging drivers in the metropolitan area from utilising the app and spreading negative opinions about Uber in the media.

The competition authorities further claim that the union applied pressure on taxi drivers through various channels, including social media, its website, and phone calls.

ACCO has also found Élite Taxi guilty of doxing taxi drivers who opted to use the Uber app.

These actions, according to the competition authorities, resulted in a boycott of Uber, which ultimately impacted both taxi drivers and consumers.

According to Catalan News, the Élite Taxi has a history of protesting against ride-hailing companies, and it achieved a significant victory in 2017 when it took Uber to the EU Court of Justice. In that case, Uber was officially deemed a ‘service in the field of transport’.

However, Élite Taxi now faces a substantial financial penalty for its activities that violate competition laws in the region.