Capital Taxi Drivers Allowed Shorts, Sandals for Heat Alerts
Capital city taxi drivers can now wear Bermuda shorts and open shoes without socks during official high-temperature warnings, clarifying uniform rules for extreme heat.
Taxi drivers in the capital city can now dress differently when it's extremely hot. New rules for their uniform allow them to wear plain black or navy blue Bermuda shorts. They can also wear open shoes like loafers, boat shoes, or sandals with a strap around the heel, and they don't have to wear socks. This change only applies when official high-temperature warnings are in place. These warnings could come from the Municipal Emergency Plan (Cecopal), the Canary Islands Government, or the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet) if it issues a yellow-level alert or higher for bad weather.
This update comes after many requests from taxi drivers. They wanted a clearer definition of 'high temperatures' to avoid confusion and possible fines. Before this, drivers could only wear shorts from June to September. Breaking the dress code could lead to penalties, even losing their license.
The original uniform rules, set in December 2016, were much stricter. Drivers had to wear long black or navy blue trousers, a plain light blue button-down shirt or collared polo shirt, black or navy blue socks, and closed shoes of the same color. Women could choose to wear a skirt in these colors instead of trousers. From the start, clothes like denim, sportswear, tracksuits, trainers, sleeveless shirts, caps, or headscarves were strictly forbidden.
Over time, these rules have changed several times. In 2017, the first change allowed Bermuda shorts and sandals during summer. Then, in 2022, this was expanded so drivers could wear them any time of year, as long as it was very hot. This newest change aims to make it even clearer when taxi drivers can wear clothes better suited for the heat, by connecting it to official weather alerts and emergency plans.