Taxi rank on Avd Mediterraneo near Plaza Triangular

Yesterday, President of the "RadioTaxi" association, Javier Matias presented a package of proposals to the City Council in the hope of improving the service offered to its customers.
The principal request which would benefit taxi users is the creation of 4 new taxi ranks across the City which has a busy footfall. Suggestions have included outside the Hotel Don Pancho on the Avd Mediterraneo, On Avd Severo Ochoa, possibly near to Benidorm Palace and the campsites and Calle Gerona, maybe near to Morgan´s Tavern. They have also asked for some of the existing taxi points to be extended.

In Spain you cannot hail a taxi from the curbside as you can in the UK, you have to go to a taxi rank. If you telephone for a taxi then the meter starts as soon as the taxi leaves the rank, so you may end up getting into the taxi with 7 euros already added on to the fare as I heard from a neighbour recently... it makes the journey to a restaurant very expensive.

Taxis waiting at El Altet airport

The drivers have also asked for there to be a visible clampdown on illegal pirate taxi´s, which have mushroomed since the start of the economic crisis. According to them "these vehicles belong to the same nationality as the tourists which they pick up" ... I think that they are referring to the Brits there!

Airport runs are a particular issue here - a licensed fully insured taxi charges in the region of 70 euros from Benidorm whereas a "pirate" one will charge about 40-50 euros. It is a big difference but remember, they are not insured in the case of an accident and the taxi drivers have to pay for their licenses and public liability insurance.

The Association has also pointed out that "the continued breach of regulation by the local bus company, which allows passengers to climb on with oversized luggage" is also complicating their work - in plain English they mean that they are loosing customers to the buses! This is applicable to the local Levante buses, such as the No 10 bus NOT the ALSA bus, which many people use to get to the airport. Is is illegal to take suitcases onto a bus but Im not too sure how strictly the bus drivers adhere to this. It would be interesting to know whether anyone has tried and been refused.

Taxi rank outside hotel Flamingo Oasis

Lastly, the taxi drivers have asked that during the busy high season there is a police presence at the rank located by the Plaza Triangular as their are many "conflict situations" in the early hours - I have interpreted this as meaning many drunk people getting into fights over who was first in the queue! They said that last Summer some of the drivers were assaulted and taxis vandalized as hundreds of people leave the the pubs close to the beach to get a taxi to take them to the nightclubs.