This week's top three: Spanish competition watchdog sues Barcelona over its ride hailing regulations; German cities call for more control over e-scooters; and taxi drivers urge Prime Minister to introduce ride hailing cap in London
1. Spanish competition watchdog sues Barcelona over its ride hailing regulations
The Spanish National Competition and Markets Commission (CNMC) has agreed to file a legal challenge against certain aspects of the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona’s (AMB) recent ride hailing regulations. The Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia will rule on the case. The CNMC stated that the AMB’s regulations are “contrary to competition and to the principles of efficient economic regulation”. The AMB’s proposed rules require a minimum 60 minute period to elapse between a ride hailing vehicle being ordered and the ride taking place, amongst other things.
2. German cities call for more control over e-scooters
The Association of German Cities has called for stricter regulations on electric scooters and for e-scooter companies to better educate their users about how to ride the vehicles responsibly. In particular, the Association has expressed concerns about vehicles being parked poorly or in inconvenient places, and have called for stricter controls, higher fines, and a ban on parking scooters outside of specified zones.
3. Taxi drivers urge Prime Minister to introduce ride hailing cap in London
The Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association has called on the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, to introduce a cap on the number of licensed private hire drivers who can operate in London. The current Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has asked the Government for the powers to cap the number of private hire drivers, citing a vast increase in numbers following the arrival of ride hailing companies. Johnson was Mayor of London when Uber first launched in the city in 2012, but in his later years as Mayor he also sought the power to introduce a cap. The idea of a cap is one that has been consistently rejected by the Government, most recently in the Department for Transport's response to the Task and Finish Group report.
This is a weekly note covering the top three developments in the regulation of on-demand transport in Europe. It covers taxis, ride-sharing, car sharing, carpooling, bikes, e-bikes, scooters, shared mopeds and anything else that's relevant to the sector. We also produce weekly global round-ups of developments in particular sectors of the sharing economy and offer a free two-week trial.
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