Andorran Taxi Association Expels Four Members for Using Uber

The Andorran Taxi Association (ATA) expelled four members on Thursday for providing services through Uber, immediately disconnecting three of them from the government's mandatory single telephone dispatch service and prompting legal challenges from the affected drivers.

The expulsion came after a heated extraordinary assembly at the La Llacuna cultural centre, where 36 members voted in favour by secret ballot, with nine against. Three of the drivers attended, each voting no along with a delegated vote, and nearly swayed three more participants. Tensions boiled over post-vote, with witnesses fearing physical altercations between at least two attendees, though none materialised. The fourth, a licensed taxi professional without a vehicle, stayed away.

ATA officials cut dispatch access for the three present right after the assembly. The association justified the move under its statutes and exclusivity deals with operators like CityXerpa, despite no legal prohibition on combining taxi and ride-hailing work. President Víctor Ambor said the two-month process followed internal rules and gained assembly approval. "We have brought everything before the general assembly, and it has taken the decisions it has taken, with their consequences," he stated, which include loss of membership and dispatch rights.

The expelled drivers, who brought two lawyers allowed entry but without speaking rights, plan to contest the decision in the Batllia. They intend to deposit membership and dispatch fees there to avoid non-payment accusations. One driver claimed the ruling leaves "four families without work," alleging discrimination, constitutional violations, breaches of taxi service law, and illegal exclusivity contracts. He criticised the lack of formal notice or appeal process but affirmed support for dispatch unification, opposing only the CityXerpa partnership.

The ATA's lawyer defended the process the following day, stating it complied fully with statutes, including Article 11, which deems working multiple platforms a serious offence warranting expulsion. The affected drivers had chances to submit allegations beforehand but did not, and they now have 15 days to appeal to a committee—though the lawyer noted it cannot override the assembly. He rejected claims of rights violations or coercion into the CityXerpa deal, calling allegations false and stressing members must choose between association platforms or Uber.

A similar case exists at the Interurban Taxi Association (ATI), where one member uses Uber. Its operator agreements demand exclusivity, but unlike ATA, its statutes do not restrict members to association devices.