Uber suspends service in Barcelona

'Hasta pronto, Barcelona'

Uber is suspending its service in Barcelona as local authorities adopt new rules for ride-hailing firms.

The regional Catalan government has ruled that from today, vehicles for hire must take bookings 15 minutes in advance.

The new rules also apply to Spain’s own ride-hailing app Cabify, which has one million users in Barcelona.

In a statement on its Spanish website, Uber said: ”Given the restrictions on VTC approved by the Generalitat de Catalunya, we are forced to suspend the UberX service in Barcelona.”

The ride-hailing service has operated its UberX service, which uses professional, licensed drivers, in Barcelona since March 2018.

It added: “In Uber we want there to be regulation. Our goal is to become a long-term ally of the more than 600 cities in which we operate. And Barcelona is not an exception.

“But, to contribute to the life of a city, we need a fair regulation. In the case of Catalonia, a regulation that takes into account the thousands of drivers and users of the VTC, who today see their livelihood disappear and their freedom to choose how they move around their city.

“The obligation to wait 15 minutes to travel in a VTC does not exist anywhere in Europe and is totally incompatible with the immediacy of on-demand services, such as UberX.”

The ride-hailing ended its statement saying: “Everyone, thanks. And to you, Barcelona, ​​we hope to see you soon. Miss you.”

An Uber spokesman told Reuters: “The new restrictions approved by the Catalan Government leave us with no choice but to suspend UberX while we assess our future in Barcelona. We are committed to being a long term partner to Spanish cities and hope to work with the Catalan Government and the City Council on fair regulation for all.”

The new regulation follows protests in Madrid and Barcelona over ride-hailing apps such as Uber and Cabify. Taxi drivers were striking over what they claim is unfair competition.