No more taxi driver licences to be granted

Staff reporter CALVIA Town Council came to an agreement yesterday with the local taxi drivers' association. Local government has committed not to grant new licences to other drivers, in exchange for the association withdrawing legal steps it has taken to stop the taxi fleet being expanded. According to the Town Council, the accord was signed by the local mayor, Carlos Delgado, Transport councillor, Luis Martín and the director of the Local Taxi Drivers' Association, Bernardo de Teba. The purpose of this formal collaboration is to combine the forces of the Town Council, the control centre, and the drivers themselves, so that action on a united front can be ensured, said a local government spokesman. Both parties recognised that the legal proceedings set in motion last year by the drivers' association “hampered the smooth-running of the service”. It was also acknowledged that the 26 vehicles that went to make up the fleet in 2002 are sufficient to cover the demand, “providing they are efficiently managed”. Additionally, the taxi drivers' union will co-operate with the Town Council in setting up a schedule for the working day: rotas, days off, and holidays. Last year the Calvia taxi drivers reacted angrily when the previous Socialist council announced that more taxi licences were going to be issued. Cabbies held days of protests and picketed the Town hall forcing the mayor to reconsider her proposal.