Uber , the best-known ride-hailing company , has sent a statement to its customers announcing its official withdrawal from the city of Barcelona due to the restrictions approved by the Catalan government to regulate these services. Uber will cease operations in Barcelona tomorrow, Friday, February 1st , when the new regulations come into effect.
Uber and Cabify are no longer available in Barcelona
This confirms what had been suspected for a few days, when the Generalitat announced the publication of a new decree that would reinforce the measures imposed on the VTC sector, forcing them to eliminate the use of GPS, not being able to circulate without passengers and manage reservations with one hour in advance. A measure that obviously destroys the VTC service radically, something that these companies have not been able to face and hence their withdrawal. Following in the footsteps of Uber, Cabify has also confirmed that tomorrow they will stop offering the service from 0:00, so we will not be able to find any VTC company on the streets of Barcelona.
Due to the restrictions on ride-hailing services approved by the Catalan Government, we are forced to suspend UberX service in Barcelona starting tomorrow. Thank you to the thousands of users and drivers who have trusted us. https://t.co/efbiehknxE pic.twitter.com/Ja0WYOsLzk
— Uber Spain (@Uber_ES) January 31, 2019
A crucial moment for Barcelona
The timing of the Catalan government's decision was no coincidence. The taxi drivers' strike wasn't helping the city, but the real problem was just weeks away, as the MWC event threatened another taxi service shutdown, something the city council couldn't afford. However, the other side of the coin will be the users, since, given that the fair attracts customers and tourists from all over the world, it remains to be seen how they will react to the unavailability of ride-hailing services (obviously, they will have no other option but to use taxis).
Will Uber return to Barcelona?
The company does not close its doors to the city or the Generalitat, since it invites the design of a fair regulation different from the current one that only offers them the option of suspending the service and leaving more than 2.000 people without work. It would not be the first time that Uber returns to Barcelona, ​​since at the beginning of last year, the company reappeared in Barcelona after receiving the necessary VTC licenses to operate as a transport service, licenses that were mandatory by the Court of Justice of the European Union after the complaints imposed by the taxi drivers.