Now that the Malaga Airport is getting more competition from the AVE high-speed train, comparisons are being made between the two. One thing they have in common is a long rank of taxis waiting to take arriving passengers away. But a number of under-handed practices are giving them a bad light, and have clients up in arms for a solution. Complaints centre around drivers contending for the best fares, but also extend to the lack of police personnel to take care of problems. One of the most common complaints is when a passenger mentions they are going to Malaga centre, a short-distance trip. The driver will defer them to the next cab, hoping to instead get someone going to Marbella or other lucrative fares. This may happen several times to a weary traveller, and is compounded when the drivers get into spats between themselves, even resulting in aggressive behaviour. It doesn’t stop there – drivers have been known to also react aggressively or just in bad taste to passengers who criticize their attitude.
Representatives of both the Association of Salaried Taxi Drivers (Asociación de Asalariados del Taxi) and Self-Employed Taxi Drivers (Aumat – Autónomos del taxi) concede these as common occurrences, but haven’t posed any viable solutions. Even though the local authorities also recognise the problem, they believe in the sector regulating itself. A good example is right outside the airport – there’s a local police post near the taxi stop, but users say police rarely intervene.
If this fray doesn’t sound appealing, check out the options for Malaga car hire and pre-booked taxis. There’s a number of companies who offer quality services, especially taxis that provide personalised, friendly service, and in your own language.
