Spain: Taxi drivers protest over Uber competition

Spanish taxi drivers have protested in Madrid against moves to open the sector up to greater competition from private transport firms like Uber.

Uber cannot currently operate in Spain while authorities decide its legal status but taxi drivers fear that regulators are about to slacken the rules.

This would pitch the heavily-regulated taxi sector, which requires licenses and closely monitored quality and safety controls, against untested drivers which operate with little, or no, restrictions, taxi unions say.