Anti-Uber protest brings Madrid to standstill as taxis block road

Hundreds of taxis bring Madrid to a standstill by blocking major road as part of anti-Uber protest

  • Taxi drivers blocked Castellana Avenue in Madrid during eight days of protests
  • They think app-based services such as Uber and Cabify threaten their livelihood
  • This morning, police cleared the area and the drivers moved on foot to protest

Hundreds of taxis have blocked Castellana Avenue, a major road in the Spanish capital of Madrid as part of an anti-Uber protest. 

The week-long demonstration finished today as police cleared the protesters away.

Cab drivers have protested against the growth of app-based ride-hailing services that they say threaten their livelihood.

This morning, police have cleared the taxis away, saying that there were no significant clashes and that nobody was arrested.

Spanish cab drivers want the regional government to impose tighter regulations for rides hailed through apps such as Uber and Cabify.

In Barcelona, local authorities can now modify regulations to require app-based rides to be hired up to one hour in advance.

Spanish taxi drives block the Castellana Avenue, one of the longest avenues in Madrid, Spain

They disrupted traffic also in the early hours of Monday, when many people commute to work

They disrupted traffic also in the early hours of Monday, when many people commute to work

This morning, police officers and municipal tow trucks cleared the area and some drivers went on foot to protest at the headquarters of the conservative party ruling the Madrid region

This morning, police officers and municipal tow trucks cleared the area and some drivers went on foot to protest at the headquarters of the conservative party ruling the Madrid region

Spanish police said there were no significant clashes

The police said nobody was arrested

Police officers clash with taxi drivers while trying to remove the blockage of Castellana Avenue

A taxi driver is pictured lighting flares as his colleagues continue to protest for the eight consecutive day against as part of a demonstration against app-based rides platforms

A taxi driver is pictured lighting flares as his colleagues continue to protest for the eight consecutive day against as part of a demonstration against app-based rides platforms

Uber and Cabify have threatened to drop their operations in Spain’s second-largest city, where they say 3,500 jobs would be at risk.

Self-employed drivers working for the two platforms are also protesting in Barcelona, urging the Catalan government to halt the new regulations. 

In Madrid, authorities have rejected any compromises that would wipe out competition for the taxis.

Taxi drivers around the world think Uber unfairly bypasses local licensing and safety regulations as it uses the internet to put drivers in touch with passengers

Taxi drivers around the world think Uber unfairly bypasses local licensing and safety regulations as it uses the internet to put drivers in touch with passengers

A photo from yesterday's protest in Madrid. The taxi sector continued striking after regional authorities turned down their proposals to regulate app-based rides such as Uber and Cabify

A photo from yesterday’s protest in Madrid. The taxi sector continued striking after regional authorities turned down their proposals to regulate app-based rides such as Uber and Cabify

Over the weekend, taxi drivers moved their protest from the outskirts of the city to Castellana Avenue, one of the longest avenues in Madrid.

Traffic was blocked this morning, when many residents commute to work, until police unblocked the street.

The drivers then moved on foot to protest at the headquarters of the Conservative Party ruling the Madrid region.

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