Taxi fares in Cadiz are set to rise by another 6% under new plans announced by the city council.
An extraordinary council meeting will be held on Thursday, August 27, to approve the hike, which Mayor Bruno Garcia has described as ‘moderate’.
The proposal is virtually guaranteed to pass thanks to the governing team’s absolute majority.
It comes after taxi fares were already increased by 7.84% following a previous agreement in August 2023, which eventually came into force in February 2024.
Before that increase, Cadiz taxi prices had not been updated since 2014.
Garcia said the latest rise was necessary to reflect the increasing costs faced by taxi drivers, particularly for fuel and insurance.
However, passengers will not see fares increase immediately after next Thursday’s vote.
Once approved by the council, the measure must go through a series of legal and administrative procedures, including a period of public consultation.
The agreement must then be submitted to the Junta de Andalucia for final approval before the new prices can take effect.
Mayor defends city’s taxis
García has defended Cadiz’s traditional taxi industry amid competition from alternative private transport platforms.
He said his administration had inherited the service in a ‘terrible situation’, with outdated fares that differed significantly from those charged elsewhere around the Bay of Cadiz.
The mayor argued that the two recent fare increases were necessary after almost a decade without an update.
The council has also pointed to improvements it has made to the sector, including work carried out at Radio Taxi facilities.
However, Garcia said the support provided by the city must be accompanied by an ‘effort’ from taxi professionals to improve the service offered to passengers.
He highlighted major events in particular, when demand for taxis can increase sharply and the availability and quality of the service becomes especially important.
If approved next week, the latest 6% increase will take the cumulative rise since the previous tariff level to around 14.3%, once the effects of the two successive increases are compounded.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
