The proposal, which has the majority support of professionals, incorporates improvements in service provision and new measures to facilitate the exercise of the profession. This modification is the result of a negotiation process that began almost two years ago between the municipal government and the taxi sector, which agreed on a roadmap with three commitments: updating the ordinance, reorganizing on-call duties, and expanding the number of licenses.
The Councilor for Mobility, Izaskun Reyes, highlighted the work carried out over these two years to reach an agreement with the sector. “It has not been an easy path. There have been many meetings, proposals, and also moments of disagreement, but from day one we have maintained our commitment to fulfill the promises made to taxi professionals. Today we take another step with an ordinance that has their majority backing and that we want to move forward before the end of the legislature.”
The new regulation updates a rule approved in 2007 and last modified in 2017. Among its main novelties is the implementation of a mobile application for requesting taxis, which must be operational by the end of 2027. It also establishes the obligation to accept card payments in all vehicles, strengthens users' rights, and maintains the requirement that at least 5% of licenses correspond to adapted vehicles, a percentage that Vitoria-Gasteiz already exceeds.
The proposal also introduces improvements for the sector. Among them, the possibility of requesting leaves of absence for conciliation reasons, for the care of minors or dependent persons. It also contemplates situations such as retirement or the permanent impossibility of continuing to practice the activity, establishing a period of up to four years to transfer the license.
The ordinance reaches this phase with the support expressed by professionals in the assembly held last June. The agreement was reached after continuing negotiations following the rejection of an initial proposal in March.
With the approved processing calendar, a new phase now opens in which municipal groups can present their amendments. The municipal government has conveyed its willingness to study the opposition's contributions and seek the necessary agreements to move the ordinance forward before the end of the legislature.
“We want to use the coming months to complete this work. There is room to reach agreements, and our goal is for Vitoria-Gasteiz to have a regulation that improves citizen service and also offers greater guarantees to taxi professionals,” concluded the councilor.
