Many people feel that this summer in Ibiza is proving to be strange from a commercial point of view. Traditionally the busiest time of year for many on the island, this summer season has been unusual. The majority of the taxi sector shares this view and, once again this year, is struggling against illegal operators — a major issue in the island's political arena — and constant traffic jams, which often hinder their work and therefore their earnings.
Lolo Ruiz, a taxi driver in the municipality of Vila and spokesperson for Elite Corsaris, says that the season is not bad, but rather very similar to last year. Although it got off to a slow start, the opening of UNVRS changed the course of the season considerably, with a steady stream of tourists arriving. However, there has been a noticeable change in the customer profile: ‘In recent years, tourists have become younger and younger, and there is hardly any family tourism left, especially in the north of the island or in areas such as Santa Eulàlia’. Many agree that family tourism has disappeared.
As for illegal services, he claims that there are more and more pirate taxis. Although he says that their presence has been reduced at the airport due to the presence of Consell inspectors, ‘the pirates have gone from being there practically all the time to only being there early in the morning and late at night’. This does not mean, however, that they have disappeared from the island, but rather that they have moved to other places ‘such as beaches or nightlife venues, especially at the entrances and exits of nightclubs, which is when queues form and pirates take advantage of the high demand’.
In addition to this illegal activity, heavy traffic, especially at the airport and at the entrances to Vila, is one of the major difficulties they face in carrying out their work.
Toni Roig, president of the Ibiza Island Taxi Federation, is more negative about the season's prospects, stating that this season, since its inception, ‘has seen lower levels of demand for taxi services.’ These declines are quantified in May and June at 40 and 30 per cent respectively compared to other years, and between 15 and 10 per cent in July and August compared to previous years.
To understand this drop in demand, Roig points directly to the decline of the middle class on the island and their length of stay on the island, due to ‘the direction the island has taken, with a somewhat more exclusive or select type of tourism, which does not generate the expected demand in our sector’.
Mariano Torres, president of the Association of Self-Employed Taxi Drivers of Vila, highlights the same issues as his colleagues. These include the gradual disappearance of the middle classes, who ultimately use taxis as a means of transport, and relentless unfair competition, which even comes from licensed drivers who do not do things properly. He also mentions the heavy traffic that is so common on the island's roads.
Regarding the first issue, he points out that there are fewer ‘families with children and domestic tourists’, with the focus increasingly shifting ‘towards nightlife tourism, with nightclubs as the final destination, meaning that people are not travelling to the beach as much as they are to restaurants’. As for unfair competition, he points out that ‘despite the efforts of the Consell, there are more and more of them, located anywhere on the island, at practically any time of day’.
Julián Povedano, president of the El Arca association, emphasises this illegal competition, from the well-known pirates, but even claims that ‘taxis from other places, Barcelona specifically, have been found working on the island’. As for ride-hailing services, he asks the Consell to respect the 1/30 rule - according to which one ride-hailing licence can be granted for every 30 taxis - as ‘we all have a place in the market, but we must respect each other's coexistence’.