The appellants base their claim on the municipal taxi ordinance, which came into force in 2006. This regulation states, in its article 6, that licenses must be granted to salaried drivers of taxi license holders who provide service in Gandia, with exclusive dedication and based on a strict seniority criterion, accredited by the municipal driver's permit and contributions to Social Security.
According to the taxi drivers, the city council would have violated its own ordinance by calling a public auction for the granting of these licenses. Both participated in the process but were excluded after the scoring system was applied.
“"The procedure does not guarantee real equality among bidders, does not allow verification of the objectivity of the valuation, and lacks sufficient transparency."
The local government of Gandia is preparing its response to the appeal, for which it still has time. However, they have already indicated their intention to dismiss the requests, as the process was carried out based on the Valencian Taxi Law, approved in 2017.
This law, which is superior in rank to the municipal ordinance and more recent, establishes that new awards must be made through a public and transparent competitive process, and therefore should not be granted discretionally, or only to city taxi drivers. The conflict highlights the need to reform or clarify the terms of the municipal ordinance.
The award promoted by the city council consisted of seven new licenses, one of them with a vehicle adapted for people with reduced mobility. The starting price for each license was 30,000 euros, and some of the successful bidders presented significant economic improvements, with one offer reaching 80,000 euros.
