High court admits complaints by taxi drivers against Uber and Cabify
Judge asks public prosecutor to investigate possible criminal offenses by ridesharing platforms
Spain's National Court has admitted for consideration complaints made by taxi drivers against the main ridesharing platforms, such as Uber and Cabify.
The court has asked the state prosecutor to investigate further after finding evidence that points to the "possible existence of a criminal offense."
Along with Uber and Cabify, the complaints have been made against over a dozen other ridesharing companies and more than a dozen individuals.
The complaints made by the taxi drivers include such accusations as manipulating prices, money laundering, and fraud.
The taxi drivers have said they intend to present up to 2,000 legal complaints in all, of which 700 come from taxi drivers in Barcelona.
Tensions between taxi drivers and ridesharing platforms have been high since July last year when protesting taxi drivers blocked access to Barcelona's airport and port.
In response, the Catalan government set new regulations in which ridesharing customers would have to book rides at least 15 minutes in advance.
That led Uber and Cabify to suspend their operations in the city, although Cabify returned in March of this year with a smaller fleet of just 300 vehicles.