The taxi fares in Arrecife, which the professionals in the sector have been updating for some time, will compensate from next year for the increased costs that the license holders have been suffering in recent years.
The Municipal Government "has today achieved the unanimous support of all political groups who have given their approval to the update of the rates, which will register, after validation by the Canary Islands Prices Commission, an increase of half a euro more for the flag-down rate."
The mayor, who congratulated the Councilor for Mobility and Transport, Mario González Altube, during the plenary session for "the work and agility in achieving this tariff update, stressed that the municipal commitment to the sector will have an impact on the improvement of taxi services in Arrecife, where one of the problems, until now, is the lack of taxi drivers in different tourist areas due to not covering their high expenses with the existing rates, which are among the lowest in Spain."
Yonathan de León stated that "since he has been mayor of the city, he has held four meetings with taxi professionals, recognizing the guild, that he has been the mayor who has held the most meetings to adopt measures that will substantially improve public transport by taxi in Arrecife."
In these meetings, the mayor, together with Councilor Mario González Altube, have requested taxi drivers that "from now on - with the update of the rates - they have more options to ensure that more drivers decide to work in different shifts, and with greater presence at the stops in the neighborhoods."
The Councilor for Mobility and Transport, Mario González Altube, stressed in the plenary session that "the economic study carried out by his Department reflects that costs in the sector have increased significantly and the update will allow for a greater presence of taxi drivers in the city. These increases in costs have been linked to social security contributions of workers, the high increase in fuel prices, and the increased cost of spare parts and vehicle repairs, among others."
González Altubez explained in the plenary session the systems established by the Legislation for the updating of prices in the public transport sector, recalling the uniqueness of Arrecife as a municipality. He remarked that "for the most part, the city develops in an urban area, but in the case of La Concha, it is accessed through another municipality, with the sector having two types of common rates, T1 and T3."
New updated rates
The current rate (in force) for the start of the service is set at 2.55 euros and includes the first kilometer traveled, and will become 3.05 euros, once the new prices are approved by the Canary Islands Prices Commission after the validation and unanimous support of the entire Municipal Corporation.
At night - between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., an additional supplement of 20 euro cents would be applied after the start of the journey.
With the rates approved today, each kilometer traveled during the day will increase by only 10 cents. Currently, the price per kilometer is just 70 cents. At night, it will increase by 20 cents.
The mayor of Arrecife, Yonathan de León, and the Councilor for Transport, Mario González, met last November with the sector to present the conclusions of the economic study commissioned by the City Council, and approved today by all political forces, which details the costs that taxi drivers have after the increase in the cost of living.
The taxi drivers have conveyed to the mayor and the councilor, in those previous meetings, that "they will collaborate with the City Council to improve the service in the city, with shifts and more presence of vehicles at the stops that allow citizens more mobility options."
