Balearic Islands want to curb permits for Uber & Co. – a reality check for Mallorca

Balearic Islands want to curb permits for Uber & Co. – a reality check for Mallorca

Key question: How many additional ride-service permits can Mallorca really handle?

The Balearic government has recently made it clear that the islands cannot absorb an unlimited number of new ride-service licenses. Minister Lorena del Valle calls the figure of 10,000 additional applications utopian. The fact is: according to the regional government, around 3,500 applications are pending on Mallorca and about 6,500 on Ibiza. Court rulings, such as Court forces Balearic government: 600 Uber licenses must be re-examined, force the administration to examine each application individually.

It may sound dry, but it isn't. The central question is not only "How many vehicles?" but "How will these vehicles affect roads, parking, noise and local employment?" Mallorca has bottlenecks in its infrastructure: the Paseo Marítimo in Palma fills up quickly, Avinguda Gabriel Roca experiences heavy traffic morning and evening, and parking near Platja de Palma is already scarce. More licensed vehicles do not automatically mean better service for tourists; more often they mean more cruising while searching for fares and therefore more congestion.

Critical analysis: the balance between law and space is missing. Courts demand individual decisions, while the administration complains about personnel and practical limits. Reliable figures are lacking in the public debate: how many of the already licensed rental cars or taxi concessions are currently active? How many of the newly applied-for licenses would be on the road during peak times? Without this data, every political comment is more a feeling than a basis for action. Similar transparency demands have arisen in related sectors, for example in debates over short-term rentals such as Airbnb Puts the Balearic Islands Under Pressure: Deleting Illegal Listings — What It Means for Mallorca.

What is missing from the public discourse is the perspective of people on the ground. Taxi drivers who have been looking for their shift start at the rank in Palma for years; restaurant owners on Calle Sant Miquel who coordinate deliveries in the morning; residents in Son Armadams who complain about more honking and stop-and-go traffic. All of these are indications that raw target numbers (applications) are not enough to reliably estimate the consequences.

Everyday scene: a mild January morning on the Paseo Marítimo. Gulls screech, a tuk-tuk rattles past, taxi drivers queue in front of the market and exchange news about new applications. A young driver with a foreign license waits for his first customer of the day and wonders how long the permitting procedure will still take. Such scenes belong to the island's reality — and show that people are affected by decisions that go far beyond abstract numbers.

Concrete solutions needed now: firstly, a temporary, transparently justified halt to new allocations until the administration has built up capacity and a clear set of criteria is in place. Regulatory proposals such as New Taxi Rules in Mallorca: Caps, Ramps and the App — Will the Plan Match the Island's Rhythm? have been discussed. Secondly, prioritization rules: locally based drivers, low-emission vehicles and operators who can demonstrate fixed bases on the islands could receive priority. Thirdly, a digital dashboard that publicly shows how many applications are being processed, their status and applicable deadlines — this would build trust and reduce speculation.

In addition, the government should launch pilot projects together with municipalities, the courts and representatives of the taxi and mobility sector: time-limited permits in selected zones linked to data reporting on trip volumes. Those who violate rules must be sanctioned more quickly; those who invest in electrification should receive grants or priority. Finally, traffic planning must rethink parking, charging infrastructure and stopping zones — otherwise the problem will only shift geographically.

Punchy conclusion: calling 10,000 new applications utopian is not just a statement but a warning. But merely limiting and sitting out the issue is not enough. Those who regulate mobility must also provide data, clear criteria and practicable transition rules. Otherwise, the decision will remain a torment for people on the island between court proceedings and daily traffic problems — and that is neither fair nor future-ready.