Spain taxi strikes: Drivers in Madrid and Barcelona call off strike as temperatures begin to soar

The peak holiday month is under way in Spain, but an estimated four million British visitors in August could find a country in disarray. Authorities are warning that temperatures in parts of the country are well over 40 Celsius. But taxi drivers in Madrid and Barcelona have called off their strike in protest against Uber and similar ride-sharing firms, at least until September.

Q How high are temperatures rising?

Figures in Spain are putting our own July heatwave firmly in the shade. The UK Met Office is warning: “Iberia is expecting record-breaking temperatures over the coming days.” The record for Spain is 47.4C (117F).

The forecast for Thursday issued by the Spanish Met Office, Aemet, warns of “extreme risk” in parts of Extremadura, the region southwest of Madrid adjoining the Portuguese border. Very high temperatures are also expected in southern Portugal.

Among major Spanish cities, Seville – known as “the frying pan of Europe” – is predicted to reach 42C (108F).

The Foreign Office has put out an alert that warns of an increased risk of forest fires.

Europe's highest ever temperature was recorded in Athens in 1977, when the mercury reached a staggering 48C - and forecasters predict the record could be broken in the coming days.

Q We’ve seen disruption on the roads and railways here because of excessive heat – are the same problems likely to occur in Spain?

The excellent Spanish motorway and high-speed rail networks are designed to tolerate much higher temperatures than in Britain, but there are limits, so there could be speed restrictions or even closures. In addition, extreme heat could affect aviation.

The hotter the temperature, the lower the air density and the tougher it is to take off – which could mean limits on the passengers, baggage or fuel put on board.

Q For people who are booked to travel but don’t want to risk either the excessive heat, what are their options?

Unless the Foreign Office advises against travel, which is extremely unlikely, travel firms will continue to impose their normal terms and conditions apply” – meaning anyone who decides to cancel is likely to lose some or all of their money.

Yet with package holiday sales down for the summer because of the UK heatwave, for anyone who has yet to book an August break there are plenty of bargains – so long as you are happy with the prospect of extreme heat.

Package holidays for the coming week are down below £350 to Mallorca for a week from East Midlands Airport, and short-notice flights going out of Edinburgh are available for as little as £80 return to Ibiza, and from Belfast to Faro on the Portuguese Algarve for £95 return, going out on Sunday and back on Thursday.

Q What is the taxi dispute about?

In common with taxi drivers in many cities around the world, Spain’s drivers are alarmed about the growth of smartphone ride-hailing services such as Uber.

The stoppage began in Barcelona a week ago. Barcelona is at the forefront of imposing rules to help protect taxi drivers; it wants to apply a quota on the number of ride-hailing licences, which is just one for every 30 taxi drivers. With an estimated 15,000 official taxis, that would mean just 500 Uber drivers – for comparison, London is thought to have 40,000.

But a court in Catalonia said the move was unlawful. The strike spread to other big cities, including Madrid, Zaragoza, Seville, Valencia, Alicante, Malaga and Bilbao.

After a day of talks on Wednesday, drivers in Madrid and Barcelona agreed to end the strike for now – but warned it would resume in September if a deal is not reached.

The strike in the Spanish and Catalan capitals ended at 3am on Thursday, and other cities are likely to follow swiftly.

Q How effective did it prove?

Spanish taxi drivers are heavily unionised, and the strike was solid. To get a sense of the disruption, imagine the cabs in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow stopping work.

Uber and similar services were operating as best they could, but demand was intense and there were reports of attacks on Uber drivers – in Barcelona, services were suspended for a day after one documented attack. Also in Barcelona, clubs and restaurants reported a 30 per cent decline in business because people were not able to get home.

The drivers also blocked key roads such as the Paseo de la Castellana in Madrid and the Gran Via in Barcelona – with some of them having picnics and even sleeping in tents by the roadside.

There were also reports of access to airports such as Madrid, Barcelona and Bilbao being blockaded; while Barcelona and Madrid have train and Metro connections, which meant passengers can use public transport, Bilbao does not.

Threats to close the border with France, which would have affected British motorists who drive between the UK and Spain, did not materialise.

Q Will things calm down now?

The hope is that a long-term solution can be found, but the taxi drivers’ insistence on outnumbering Uber and its rivals by 30 to one looks unsustainable. Spain’s competition commission is seeking a higher quota. As a result, hostilities are likely to resume in September.