Santa Cruz de Tenerife Announces Modernization Plan for Taxi Industry
Santa Cruz de Tenerife is modernizing its taxi industry through a new mobile booking app, infrastructure upgrades, accessibility grants, and upcoming regulatory adjustments to fares and safety requirements.
The Santa Cruz de Tenerife Taxi Board recently met to discuss modernizing the city’s taxi industry. City officials and industry representatives have agreed on a plan to digitize operations while meeting new regional and national regulations.
A key part of this strategy is a new mobile app for managing taxi services, which will begin testing this November. Alongside this, the City Council has updated physical taxi ranks at locations including the La Candelaria University Hospital, the Taburiente Hotel, and new spots on Avenida Venezuela and Sargentos Provisionales.
To improve accessibility, the council is processing grants of 3,000 euros per license for wheelchair-accessible vehicles, with ten applications already submitted. The city aims to ensure that 5% of all taxi licenses are accessible, a goal it may pursue through a partnership with La Laguna. Additionally, a security initiative to install cameras in 127 taxis is underway, though some administrative paperwork still needs to be finalized before funding can be released.
The city is also managing a high volume of interest in the municipal driving permit, with 45 people currently applying. To accommodate this, the deadline for application corrections has been extended, pushing the aptitude exams to the first half of September.
Finally, the industry is preparing for upcoming regulatory changes. Starting October 1, drivers will be required to wear seat belts under updated traffic laws. Furthermore, the local government is opening talks with the Directorate General of Transport regarding new regional fare structures and flat rates for airport trips. The City Council and taxi representatives plan to review these changes closely to ensure they remain economically viable for drivers.