New ambulances, empty seats: How a drivers license shortage is slowing Mallorca's emergency services

New vehicles, old mistake: Why Mallorca's ambulances are standing still

You can hear the palm leaves crack in the Tramuntana wind, gulls screech over the harbour and in a yard in Palma a row of new ambulances stands, neat like soldiers in formation. Headlights gleam, protective film is fresh, radio antennas jut into the November air like small flags. And yet: many of these vehicles do not move an inch. The central question remains: how were new vehicles procured when so many emergency workers do not hold the appropriate driving licences?

How it came to this

The sequence of events feels almost Kafkaesque: approval, order, delivery — and only afterwards the realization that the new ambulances weigh significantly more than 3.5 tonnes. In practice this means that roughly eight out of ten paramedics are formally not allowed to drive these vehicles. Instead of saving lives on the Paseo Marítimo or in the narrow streets of Son Gotleu, the personnel manager, the workshop manager and administrative officers sit in endless conference calls. The head of HR resigned, the vehicles remain dry and clean in the garage — a still life of a modern administrative blunder.

More than a booking error: a systemic weakness

This mishap is not an isolated issue. Two logics collide here: the technical (more safety, more comfort, a sturdier chassis) and the administrative (licence categories, retraining, schedules). The procurement department opted for long-lasting vehicles without conclusively checking whether the crew were authorised to operate them. This is symptomatic of procurement strategies that prioritise equipment and price over staff qualification.

What this means on the ground

For residents this shows in concrete ways: older, louder vehicles must remain in service longer, on narrow mountain roads near Sóller or during quiet hours in rural areas the risk increases. Call handling takes longer because vehicles fail more often. Neighbours report more noise, paramedics report frustration: 'We want to drive the new vehicles, but we don't want to wait months for tests,' says a paramedic anonymously. Every minute counts, whether on Portixol beach or at a finca in the Pla de Mallorca — and bureaucracy steals those minutes.

Why it's hardly discussed

In debates about new ambulances costs, manufacturers, LED lighting and comfort features dominate. Driver qualification often remains a footnote. Administrative departments work in silos: procurement thinks about delivery times, HR about pay scales, operations about deployment plans. A binding risk assessment that factors in retraining times and transition costs is missing — a point rarely examined in meetings or the press.

What can help in the short term

There are pragmatic measures that could work quickly: first, check whether technical modifications or reduction of additional load can bring the empty weight under 3.5 tonnes — sometimes simpler equipment variants are enough. Second, a funded retraining programme: intensive courses and exam blocks, organised in cooperation with the island's driving test centre, could upgrade many colleagues within weeks. Third, temporary partnerships with private ambulance services or taxi companies for peak times — not ideal, but a lifeline. Fourth, examine special permits: in exceptional cases temporary authorisations could bridge the gap.

Long-term lessons

The lesson is clear: procurement must integrate personnel questions. Before signing a contract there should be a binding check: does the vehicle match the existing workforce? If not, who pays for retraining and how quickly can qualifications be obtained? In Mallorca a taskforce from procurement, HR and operations should sit together before any major purchase. Regular qualification checks and a retraining fund could prevent future blockages.

What it costs — and why time is expensive

Technical adjustments cost from a few hundred to several thousand euros per vehicle. Retraining including exams costs four-figure sums per driver. More important than the pure euro amount is the lost time: patients need fast help, and delays directly affect health and trust. A simple calculation: investing in training now avoids higher costs tomorrow from breakdowns, more frequent repairs on older vehicles and potentially critical incidents that do not go optimally.

Conclusion

The intention was right: modern, safe ambulances for the island. The implementation, however, reveals a lack of coordination between technology, personnel and administration — a situation that in the worst case can endanger people in need. The solution is pragmatic: less silo thinking, clear procedures, binding checks before purchase and a rapid plan for retraining. Hopefully those responsible will learn faster than the next rain front over Palma, which otherwise will only make the freshly polished hoods shine wetly.