The Chamber of Commerce of Lanzarote and La Graciosa appeals to "the organizers of the strike to adopt an agreement that responds to peak demand on specific dates such as Easter Week". The president of the employers, José Valle, believes that “we cannot fail to serve the tourists who choose our island and subject them to long and inexplicable queues.”
The protest of two cooperatives that include taxi drivers from all the municipalities of the island except Arrecife, responds to the measures being prepared by the Cabildo so that taxis can work under the concept of “joint provision” in specific moments in which capacity is exceeded due to excess demand.
The objective is to be able to provide a joint service on specific dates, holidays, events and moments in which the need is demonstrated for the common good of citizens and visitors. The proposal has not pleased the Norte and Sur cooperatives, which include taxi drivers from Yaiza, Teguise, Tías, Haría and Tinajo; and neither has the Ajey Tamia cooperative, which represents taxi drivers from San Bartolomé, both have called a strike between March 25 and 31..
The Chamber considers taxis key to attracting quality tourism
"The public taxi service is one of the primary sectors for the quality tourism we are pursuing, we cannot have tourists waiting hours for transportation”, says Valle. “Mobility changes with the new tourism model, which no longer moves in large packages but more independently”, he continues. Furthermore, “vehicles should not make return trips without passengers because it is not sustainable and this is no longer just a matter of image but of responsibility with our environment.”
From the Chamber we believe that there are formulas to mitigate this problem and achieve benefit for all, also for the taxi drivers who would make better use of their time. In fact, there are digital tools, programs and applications capable of providing an effective and economical response to this problem.
The Chamber of Commerce advocates that the solution adopted has the consensus of the sector, in fact “meetings have been held with the cooperatives in these months without reaching any agreement or receiving any proposal” explains Valle. But if those solutions that we want for the sector are not achieved, “we understand that the administration is looking for solutions”, concludes the president of the Chamber of Commerce.
