The Island Association of Hotel and Apartment Business Owners (ASOLAN) has lamented the decision of the Parliament of the Canary Islands to extend for one more year the moratorium for the granting of Vehicle Transport with Driver (VTC) licenses, which again delays the entry of services such as Uber, Cabify or Bolt on the island.
“These VTC services are highly demanded by tourists, who are surprised to see that this transport alternative does not exist in Lanzarote,” said the president of Asolan and FTL, Susana Pérez. In her opinion, this decision ignores a growing need and aggravates the already delicate situation of public taxi transport on the island.
As Pérez recalled, the FTL has been denouncing important deficiencies in the taxi service for some time, such as long waits or saturated switchboards, which even prevent contacting by telephone to request a vehicle. Therefore, and in view of this new delay in the implementation of VTCs, the business association urges the Cabildo and the City Councils to adopt measures to improve the current service.
Among the priorities, the Federation has reiterated the need to expedite the development of the taxi platform, which would contribute to modernizing and optimizing the system. In addition, it has stressed the importance of approving the decrees to declare ports and the airport as sensitive areas, thus making it easier for vehicles from other municipalities to operate in times of high demand.
“Lanzarote needs an effective, efficient and sustainable public taxi transport service, capable of responding to the real demand of users and of living up to the standards required of a first-class tourist destination,” concluded Susana Pérez.
