UK tourists 'warned' over travelling by taxi in Majorca

UK tourists who get taxis in Spain have been warned over rising prices and fare hikes from the European Union holiday hotspot of Majorca. Palma Town Hall undertook to study a demand for an increase to fares from January 2025.

Biel Moragues, president of the Taxis-Pimem association, said after the meeting that fares are around 15 per cent below what they should be. He described Palma's rates as "third-world" and are "the consequence of not having been reviewed for three years".

There hasn't been a revision despite inflation and higher fuel prices. "The truth is that some tourists laugh when we tell them the rates. Having rates that are not adequate makes it not worthwhile working in the city. They leave a lot to be desired," they said.

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The taxi drivers referred to a study of fares in 57 Spanish cities carried out by the Facua consumers association. The Palma minimum fare is 3.15 euros, whereas in Teruel (also Aragon) it is five euros, according to Majorca Daily Bulletin, an island newspaper.

The price per kilometre in Palma is 98 cents, while in Santa Cruz de Tenerife it is 1.35 euros and in Madrid 1.30 euros. Of the cities included in the study, 35 increased their rates in 2024; Palma was one of the exceptions, the news website also reported.

"That is only if they don't overcharge you," warned a reader. "I think they are too cheap, but only if you can find one. More chance of winning El Gordo," a second said. And another one warned: "Will Uber undercut the fare increases?"

It omes as President Marga Prohens has warned that "firm and brave decisions" to tackle overcrowding in the Balearic Islands will be taken before the start of the 2025 season. "We have to listen to the citizens, to listen to a growing and general social discontent that goes far beyond the protests," Prohens said.