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ARCHIVED - Tourists in Spain furious over shortage of taxis
Holidaymakers report waiting nearly three hours for a taxi on arriving in Spain
Scores of disgruntled holidaymakers have taken to social media to complain about the severe taxi shortages in Spain, with many people unable to get a lift to local bars and restaurants while countless others have stood in queues for hours at overburdened airports.
There seems to be no end to tourist woes this year, as flights from the UK to Spain continue to be cancelled on a regular basis and Britons run the risk of missing their plane due to a lack of security personnel checking passports.
The latest chaos has hit the always popular resort of Mallorca where tourists have complained that the streets of Palma are empty of local taxis as drivers hit the airport to pick up more lucrative fares. But the increased demand is also wreaking havoc at the airport itself, as public transport can’t keep up with the surge of passengers as several flights land at once.
“11:30 p.m. Queues to leave the arrivals terminal at Palma airport. Hundreds of people waiting for a taxi or a bus to. It's only June 2nd,” one traveller tweeted along with a photo of a huge line snaking along the street.
“Nearly three hours waiting to get set off to our hotel to start our holiday. Disgusting. Embarrassing!!!!” another wrote.
Earlier this year, authorities in the tourist hotspot of the Costa Blanca in Alicante announced that the area would be getting 15 new taxis ahead of the summer season, but local governments are increasingly coming under pressure to issue more licences, even if it’s just for the busier high season.
Holidaymakers planning to take matters into their own hands by renting a car instead aren’t having much luck either, as across Spain there is an average of 40% fewer hire vehicles available than before the pandemic.
Before the health crisis hit, around 120,000 rental cars were available in Mallorca during the summer; this year, the figure has barely reached 3,500 while the Balearic Vehicle Rental Association estimates that 75,000 cars will be needed to meet the demand this summer season.
This age-old supply and demand issue will only serve to push prices even higher, according to a spokesperson.
“The situation has changed and marketing has become very expensive because demand is very high and there’s not enough cars,” he explained.
“The cost of rental cars at Easter was 70-130 euros per day which has eradicated the clientele that used to rent cars because they were very cheap.”
23.30 h. Cues per sortir de la terminal d’arribades de l’aeroport de Palma. Centenars de persones esperant un taxi o un autobús per. Només som dia 2 de juny #faremuntro pic.twitter.com/TUgdfl5x1E
— Esperança🎗 (@cetamateu) June 2, 2022
Image: Esperanca on Twitter
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