The Formentera Council (CiF) Office of Transport has clinched an agreement for 2016-17 with the local association of taxi drivers (Associació de Taxistes de Formentera) regarding the local action plan for summertime drivers. “Our goal going into this year’s talks was to improve on the previous plan,” said transport councillor Rafael González, “and that’s what we’ve done. We’ve gone from five seasonal permits to eight.” In addition to providing more driver permits, the new agreement extends the service period from three to four months and allows for an expanded range of driving hours.
González pointed out that “in 2014 and 2015, seasonal drivers began June 15 and finished September 15,” while this year and next “the summer season will go from the start of June through the end of September.” He also highlighted the extended hours drivers would be allowed to operate – “the timetable has gone from 10.00 am to 10.00 pm to 9.00 am to 1.30 am next day.” The objective, explained González, was to “strike a balance between supply and demand to make sure the service given to residents and tourists was a quality one.” Also important was the task of preventing non-licensed cabs from eating away at the market.
Sustainable vehicles
Another feature of the revised action plan is the requirement that “25 per cent of seasonal taxis be hybrids,” said González, who called the move “a clear step” toward the goal of making local transport more sustainable. Under the new terms, two of the eight seasonal taxis must be hybrids.
Public bid
This week, the terms of the public bid will be published on the BOIB (the official bulletin of the Balearic Islands), after that, drivers will have ten days to present their applications. Applications will be accepted from taxi drivers with a permanent licence in addition to salaried employees that have worked as a driver in Formentera at least four months in the last two years.
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