By Inti Landauro
MADRID (Reuters) – The Spanish government is set to impose new restrictions on drivers working with ride-hailing apps such as Uber after the European Union’s top court overturned a set of local curbs in Barcelona, a draft document seen by Reuters showed.
The cabinet could approve the decree as early as on Tuesday, according to a source familiar with the matter, allowing regional authorities to force drivers of private cars for hire to respect additional criteria to be able to operate in specific areas.
These criteria will have to be justified by reasons such as environmental protection, road safety or sustainability of “public interest services” such as regular taxis, said the draft, which is not dated.
A transport ministry spokesperson said the government was planning to adopt a new set of regulations, although it was not clear if they would be immediately introduced by decree.
On June 8, the Court of Justice of the European Union opposed restrictions imposed in Barcelona to reduce the number of drivers of private cars transporting passengers hired through mobile platforms and fleet owners to protect the interests of taxi services.
The court said such restrictions could be legal if they did not discriminate between the different service providers.
The decision was welcomed by ride-hailing drivers and the app platforms operating in Spain, such as Uber, Bolt and local rival Cabify, as a precedent that institutionalises them as legitimate public transport operators.
The enforcement of the restrictions late last year had pushed many self-employed drivers and fleet owners in Barcelona out of business.
