Andorra Urges Taxi Operators to Join Single Dispatch Centre Amid Violations
David Forné calls on holdout taxi operators to adopt the mandatory unified dispatch system, while announcing a competitive tender to boost airport connectivity with new Paris route and enhanced Madrid-Palma services.
Key Points
- State Secretary David Forné states non-compliant taxi operators must integrate into the mandatory Taxi Andorra dispatch centre.
- Holdouts rejected joining associations during system creation and operate independently despite regulations.
- Forné highlights app's efficiency and future allowance for more centres, without specifying sanctions.
- Separate tender launched for Andorra–La Seu d'Urgell Airport to add Paris route from 2027 with €5M funding.
Andorra's State Secretary for Mobility and Energy Transition, David Forné, has reiterated that a small group of taxi operators refusing to join the country's single dispatch centre are operating outside the regulations and should integrate promptly.
The holdouts, who declined to unite with the Andorran Taxi Association and Interurban Taxi Association during the system's creation, continue independent work despite government efforts to facilitate their entry. "The regulation is very clear: if you are a taxi driver, you must be part of a dispatch centre, and since there is only one in the country, that is the one they must join," Forné told reporters on Tuesday. He stressed that the move unified the sector and dismissed their exclusion as illogical, while noting the framework permits additional centres in the future. Forné described the current Taxi Andorra app as running efficiently, apart from occasional glitches, and said participation would benefit the non-compliant drivers.
He declined to specify potential sanctions but emphasised that independent operations are not permissible.
The remarks underscore ongoing resistance to the mandatory system, which Forné said is otherwise performing well.
Separately, Forné outlined a competitive tender to enhance services at Andorra–La Seu d'Urgell Airport, including renewed Madrid and Palma de Mallorca routes plus a new Paris connection from 2027. Several firms have obtained tender documents, and he called the terms "very attractive" with up to €5 million in annual funding to establish the airport as a regional hub. Officials have approached operators with suitable ATR aircraft to encourage bids, without naming challengers to current provider Air Nostrum.
A monitoring committee will assess prices and load factors quarterly, which could lead to more frequencies—starting with another French route, followed by additional midweek Madrid flights and further market-led options. No other destinations are planned initially.
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