Bicycle taxis are no longer allowed to circulate around Barcelona
31 August, 2022Barcelona City Council and the Generalitat de Catalunya have set out to put an end to one of the most pressing problems for urban mobility in the city, and have agreed on a "definitive" ban on the activity of bicycle taxis. In addition, both institutions have announced the introduction of fines of 6,000 euros for those who do not comply with the ban.
According to the City Council, a "one-off" modification of what is known as the Taxi Law will allow the banning of bicycle taxis before the end of the year. Thus, these means of transport will be excluded from the regulation because they do not have the basic characteristics necessary to be considered taxis.
The City Council has insisted on the "urgent" nature of the ban, as this activity "has been in a legal borderline situation for too long". It is considered that bicycle taxis "are not coherent with the tourist model of the city of Barcelona" as they are "a source of precariousness and unsafety" and are an extra burden on the police and the Guardia Urbana.
The City Council also recalled that this problem "was spreading to other areas of the city" and that now, in addition to Barceloneta and Vila Olímpica, bicycle taxis could be found in Park Güell and in the Sagrada Família area. Until now, the authority had been trying to "contain" their expansion by enforcing licensing requirements on owners and confiscating vehicles.
"As of today, the number of bicycle taxis has been reduced to practically zero," said municipal sources, who have assured that 40 vehicles have been confiscated while they await the "clarification" of the regulation of the law.