Ridesharing services will cease to exist in Barcelona, warns union

Government's deal with striking taxi drivers will kill competition and lead to almost 4,000 jobs lost, says Unauto union

The presidents of Unauto VTC in Spain and Catalonia Eduardo Martin and Josep Maria Goñi at a press conference in Barcelona on January 24 2019 (by Andrea Zamorano) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

First published: January 24, 2019 07:35 PM

Ridesharing services in Barcelona could cease to exist and thousands of employees could lose their jobs, according to the union representing the sector that includes drivers working for such online apps as Uber and Cabify.

In the aftermath of the strike and protests against such services by the city's taxi drivers, the Unauto union also called for territory minister, Damià Calvet, to step down, and for the government's proposed regulation for the sector to be put on hold.

"We are being expelled. They are forcing us to close and forcing the public to use an inferior service," said Unauto head Eduardo Martin in a press conference on Thursday, adding that Calvet has made promises to the taxi drivers that "he knows he cannot fulfill."

Barcelona Catalan government Uber Cabify Taxi Strike Unauto