Long queues to get a taxi have returned to Lanzarote airport and were especially felt last weekend. On Saturday, the queue even exceeded the T1 building and continued along the curve of the road, which has generated complaints from users and has revived an old debate about this service.
From the taxi cooperative of San Bartolomé they assure that this episode was something "specific" and ask that this photograph not be taken "out of context", while the tourism association considers that measures should be taken. "A tourist cannot take that image of Lanzarote with them," says the president of Asolan and the Tourism Federation of the island, Susana Pérez.
For his part, the president of the taxi cooperative of the municipality, Echeide Padrón, maintains that this "does not usually happen" and even assures that the queues on Saturday were dissolved "in 15 or 20 minutes", after asking for drivers from other municipalities to come. "Several flights came together at the same time, together with others with delays", explains Padrón, who insists that in these cases they resort to colleagues from Arrecife or Tías. "When we are overwhelmed, we ask for taxis from other municipalities", he says, assuring that "they have no problem" in doing so because "they are not interested in making the tourist wait".
However, the tourism association believes that it is necessary to "optimize" the service, to prevent these queues from occurring. "With the information on flight arrivals, taxis can be mobilized," Susana Pérez has defended on Radio Lanzarote - Onda Cero.
In addition, she believes that it is not enough to open the airport to other taxi drivers when there is a peak in demand. "Let's talk about a sustainable service. If there is a taxi that goes to Playa Blanca, or another from the south that has to take a passenger, it cannot leave empty, whether it is 30, 35 or 10 kilometers," argues Pérez.
Increased demand due to lack of rental cars and the pandemic
Regarding the situation that is currently being experienced, the taxi cooperative of San Bartolomé affirms that it is an "atypical" moment caused by several factors, which are increasing demand. "There are no rental cars, and tourists prefer not to use collective transport (due to the pandemic). These are temporary problems until this normalizes," justifies Padrón.
The tourism association has already been warning about these factors, which affirms that it is not just an airport problem. In fact, Susana Pérez has insisted that some weekends people are still calling "with the possibility of missing their flight" for not getting a taxi in times of high demand.
From the tourism association they point out that for there to be a solution to the problem there must be an "effective coordination". "If it is coordinated, we all coordinate", says the president of Asolan, advocating for an understanding between the tourism association, the municipalities of the Island and the taxi drivers themselves. "There are many options, and all simple," she says.
"It is a good sign that tourists come, but if the experience of the beginning or end of the trip is not good, they will look for another destination," warns Pérez, who considers that this problem is not compatible with the aspiration of being a "premium" destination. In this sense, and given the possible lack of taxis at specific times, the president of the association opens the door to implementing "other transport alternatives", such as the entry of VTC.
The taxi drivers, however, consider that there is no shortage and that these peaks in demand are due to a temporary situation. In the case of the airport, the San Bartolomé cooperative considers that not even more taxi licenses are necessary. "There are specific moments when we need and ask for help, and there are other moments when we are stopped for a long time," emphasizes Padrón.