There has been a holiday warning for British tourists as taxi drivers in a popular Spanish spot are demand fares are hiked.
The Majorc taxi monitoring committee met earlier this week in Palma Town Hall to discuss increasing taxi rates across the island from January 2025.
President of the Taxis-Pimem association, Biel Moragues, said after the meeting that fares are around 15 percent below what they should be.
He said that Palma’s rates were “third-world” and “the consequence of not having been reviewed for three years”.
“The truth is that some tourists laugh when we tell them the rates. Having rates that are not adequate makes it not worthwhile working in the city. They leave a lot to be desired.”
The association found that among 57 Spanish cities, Palma has the second lowest taxi rates. It is beat out only by Huesa in Aragon.
The minimum fare in the Majorca capital is €3.15, whereas in Teruel, it is €5. The price per kilometre in Palma is 98 cents, while in Santa Cruz de Tenerife it is €1.35 and in Madrid €1.30.
Of the cities included in the study, 35 increased their rates in 2024; Palma was one of the exceptions.
This comes as President Marga Prohens has warned that “firm and brave decisions” to tackle overcrowding in the Balearic Islands will be taken before the start of the 2025 season.
“We have to listen to the citizens, to listen to a growing and general social discontent that goes far beyond the protests,” Prohens said.
She added this discontent indicates a shared opinion that “we can no longer grow in volume. We have to talk about limits and we have to talk about containment”.
Prohens emphasised that tourism is, and will continue to be, the Balearics’s main industry and called on the public to feel proud of it.
“The tourist is always welcome and well treated on our islands. Tourism has been and will continue to be the main source of wealth generation and income to sustain our well-being for many years.”