Hundreds of taxi drivers protested in Barcelona against Uber

Hundreds of taxi drivers took their vehicles to the streets of Barcelona, Spain, on Thursday to express dissatisfaction with Uber's return to the Catalan capital, AFP reported. The US company Uber has launched an application in Barcelona since Tuesday that allows users to order a traditional licensed taxi instead of tourist transport vehicles (VTC). The taxi driver's union Elite Taxi has expressed its belief that the new application violates the rules on rates that apply to taxi drivers. "Rules are set and must be respected to ensure that all applications offer the same prices," said Tito Álvarez of Elite Taxi. The Catalan government took action against Uber and Cabify's transport services in 2019, and both companies later closed in Barcelona. The government then responded to pressure from Barcelona taxi drivers, writes AFP. Uber had to cease operations in Spain in 2014 after a court ruled that the service constituted unfair competition, AFP recalls. In 2016, however, Uber vehicles returned to the streets of Madrid and two years later to Barcelona.