The government seems to work in patches born of improvisation and coercion
En el cruce entre la ley europea y la política nacional, España se encuentra sin el andamio regulatorio que durante años mantuvo en equilibrio a taxistas y plataformas de transporte bajo demanda. El Tribunal de Justicia de la UE ha derribado la ratio 1:30 que limitaba las licencias VTC, y el Ministerio de Transportes corre ahora contra el reloj —y contra las elecciones del 23 de julio— para construir algo nuevo sobre los escombros. Lo que está en juego no es solo quién puede llevar pasajeros por las calles de Madrid o Barcelona, sino qué tipo de movilidad urbana quiere garantizar el Estado y a quién le debe protección.
- La anulación judicial de la ratio 1:30 ha dejado cientos de solicitudes de licencias VTC en un vacío legal que amenaza con desbordarse antes del verano.
- Los sindicatos del taxi —Antaxi, Élite Taxi Barcelona— han convocado una gran manifestación en Madrid para el 22 de junio y presionan al Ministerio para que legisle de inmediato.
- Las plataformas como Uber, Cabify y Bolt denuncian que han sido excluidas de las negociaciones y advierten de posibles acciones legales, llegando a hablar de prevaricación si el Gobierno legisla solo para proteger al taxi.
- Cabify alerta de escasez real de vehículos en Barcelona y Valencia, donde los usuarios ya no pueden cubrir casi la mitad de sus solicitudes en fin de semana.
- El Gobierno busca aprobar un decreto-ley de urgencia con nuevos criterios basados en medioambiente y gestión del tráfico, pero sin haber revelado aún su contenido concreto.
El Ministerio de Transportes de España trabaja a contrarreloj para redactar una nueva regulación del sector VTC tras la sentencia del Tribunal de Justicia de la UE que anuló la ratio 1:30 —una licencia de vehículo de transporte con conductor por cada treinta taxis—, que había sido el eje del equilibrio sectorial durante años. La ministra Raquel Sánchez reconoció que su departamento prepara un decreto-ley de urgencia con criterios basados en protección medioambiental y gestión del tráfico, aunque sin concretar aún qué forma tomarán esas nuevas reglas.
La presión llega desde ambos lados del conflicto. Los sindicatos del taxi, encabezados por Antaxi y Élite Taxi Barcelona, han convocado una manifestación en Madrid para el 22 de junio y exigen legislación inmediata que frene la avalancha de solicitudes de licencias VTC que, con la ratio anulada, podrían volverse válidas de golpe. Para el sector del taxi, la amenaza es existencial.
Pero la prisa del Gobierno por calmar a los taxistas ha encendido a las plataformas. Feneval, que agrupa a Uber, Cabify y Bolt, acusa al Ministerio de negociar de espaldas a los operadores VTC y sus trabajadores. Su vicepresidente, Ignacio Manzano, calificó el proceso de improvisado y coercitivo, y advirtió que legislar para blindar al taxi ignorando el fallo europeo podría constituir prevaricación. Cabify, por su parte, propuso una mesa de diálogo formal y aportó un argumento práctico: en Barcelona y Valencia, la escasez de vehículos ya provoca colas en aeropuertos y estaciones, y la empresa no pudo atender casi la mitad de las solicitudes en fin de semana.
El Gobierno afronta así una doble presión —electoral y judicial— sin una solución clara en el horizonte. El tribunal ha trazado un límite, pero no ha dictado qué construir en su lugar. La legitimidad de lo que se legisle dependerá de si los nuevos criterios responden al interés público o simplemente reemplazan una restricción por otra.
Spain's Transport Ministry is scrambling to write new rules for ride-hailing services after a European court struck down the legal framework that had governed the sector for years. The 1-to-30 ratio—one licensed VTC vehicle for every thirty taxis—is now dead, invalidated by the EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg. Transport Minister Raquel Sánchez acknowledged on Monday that her department is working on what amounts to an emergency fix, a decree-law that would replace the defunct ratio with new criteria based on environmental protection and traffic management. She promised to move quickly, but offered few specifics about what the new rules would actually look like.
The urgency is real, and it's coming from the streets. Taxi unions have threatened major protests if the government doesn't act fast. On June 22, they plan a large demonstration in Madrid. The unions—Antaxi and Élite Taxi Barcelona among them—are meeting again with Transport Ministry officials on Tuesday to demand immediate legislation that will slow the flood of VTC license applications now stuck in legal limbo. For years, regional authorities rejected these applications based on the 1-to-30 ratio. Now that ratio is gone, and hundreds of pending requests could suddenly become valid. The taxi sector sees this as an existential threat and is making noise accordingly.
But the government's rush to appease one side of this conflict has infuriated the other. Feneval, the industry association representing Uber, Cabify, Bolt, and other ride-hailing platforms, is accusing the Transport Ministry of conducting negotiations in bad faith. The VTC companies say they've been excluded from the table entirely—that the ministry is only listening to taxi unions, not to the workers, independent drivers, and companies that actually operate the platforms. Ignacio Manzano, Feneval's vice president, told El País that the government is crafting a "patch" born of improvisation and coercion, with no genuine input from the affected sector and no real consideration of the public interest. He went further: if the ministry legislates to keep protecting taxis while ignoring the court's ruling, it could constitute malfeasance.
Cabify, Spain's largest ride-hailing platform, has made a more measured pitch. The company proposed creating a formal dialogue table to discuss the future of urban mobility after the court ruling, hoping to avoid what it called another regulatory patch that would only generate more legal uncertainty. The company also presented a practical argument: in Barcelona and Valencia, VTC vehicles are so scarce that queues form at airports and train stations. Cabify said it couldn't fulfill nearly half of user requests in Barcelona on recent weekends. As the summer tourist season ramps up, the shortage will only worsen. The implication was clear: restricting VTC licenses further would harm not just the companies, but travelers and residents who depend on the service.
What's happening here is a collision between two legitimate interests with no obvious compromise in sight. The taxi sector, which has operated under a protective regulatory regime for decades, faces real disruption if VTC services expand unchecked. The ride-hailing platforms, which have invested in infrastructure and employment, face the prospect of being frozen out by new rules designed to protect their competitors. The government, caught between them and facing elections on July 23, is trying to move fast. But speed and legitimacy rarely go together. The court has set a boundary—the old ratio is illegal—but it hasn't told Spain what to build in its place. The ministry's job is to find criteria that are genuinely objective and grounded in public welfare, not just a new way to say no to VTC. Whether it can do that before the protests start, and whether any solution it reaches will survive legal challenge, remains to be seen.
Citas Notables
We are committed to establishing objective criteria for VTC authorizations based on the general interest, proper traffic management, and environmental protection— Transport Minister Raquel Sánchez
The Ministry appears to be working on a new patch born of improvisation, haste, and coercion, where the general interest is absent, as is participation from the affected sector— Ignacio Manzano, vice president of Feneval
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why did the EU court strike down Spain's taxi-to-VTC ratio in the first place?
The court found it wasn't a genuine regulation based on public interest—it was just a numerical cap designed to protect one industry from competition. The court said if Spain wants to limit VTC licenses, it needs real reasons: environmental concerns, traffic flow, public safety. Not just "we want to protect taxis."
So the government is trying to rewrite the rule with those legitimate reasons instead?
That's the theory. But the taxi unions don't trust it will actually work. They see the court's decision as a threat to their livelihoods, and they're pushing the government to move fast before the ruling opens the floodgates.
And the VTC companies think the government is just going to dress up the same protectionism in new language?
Exactly. They're saying the ministry is only talking to taxi unions, not to them. They feel like they're being written out of a decision that affects thousands of their workers and drivers. And they're warning that if the government passes a law that's just the old ratio in disguise, they'll challenge it in court.
What's the actual shortage situation in cities like Barcelona?
Real. Cabify says it can't meet demand on weekends. Queues at airports. As tourism picks up, it gets worse. The VTC companies are arguing that restricting licenses further would hurt not just their business, but travelers and residents who need the service.
Is there any chance of a genuine compromise?
Cabify proposed a dialogue table, which sounds reasonable. But the government is under time pressure—elections are July 23—and the taxi unions are threatening street protests. That's not an environment where careful deliberation happens.
What happens if the government passes something and the VTC companies sue?
Then Spain ends up back in court, probably losing again, and the whole thing gets delayed another year. The uncertainty just deepens.