new business

Read the recent question regarding transporting people from the airport.

I am moving to Murcia next year and was thinking about setting up a business as a sole trader at the moment with possible

expansion.

I would like to legally start up a business offering airport transfers or daily trips for a set fee using a 5 seat vehicle to start with.

Can you please give me any advise as to what I would legally need to do to register to start up this kind of business and what

i need to do and who i need to register with in spain to start this venture.

I hear of many illegal people doing this kind of thing and I don’t want to be one of then so I want to use any capital i have to start a legitimate business.

Any advise would be gratefully received

Alan Collins

This idea has been discussed often in the past. From memory: you would need to pass certain tests to obtain a "servicio público" (SP) operator's licence and register a company with a minimum number of vehicles (a licence will not be issued for a single vehicle owner operator as far as I know) Your chances of getting in on this market are IMHO extremely slim - it's virtually a closed shop so unless you know a Spaniard who is already in the business and willing to let you in, I wouldn't get too hopeful about it. 

However, rules on most things vary from one autonomous region and even from one municipality to another in Spain, so I suggest if you are serious about pursuing the idea, that you arrange to sit down with a professional gestor in your area to discuss your options; although I have a Spanish neighbour who is in the business and have picked up bits of info from him, I am no expert on these things. 

We had somebody on our urbanaization who wanted to do this, after many years (about 3 if i remember) he obtained a licence from the town hall. But he could only do business on the urb, could not ply for trade in the town, and other restrictions, after a few years he had to gie up on medical grounds, his wife was going to take over from him but it was not transferable licence, as Roberto said check with ALL the relevent authoroties, they do very, but i´m afraid i don´t hold out much hope to obtain a legal Taxi Licence, but please keep us informed of the outcome. 

Alan I admire your honesty and morals. As you say there are many illegal ‘’Del Boys’’ doing this kind of thing, and every € goes in their back pocket tax free. They also operate on standard cheap insurance which is quite legal if they are taking the next door neighbour to the airport (supposedly) for free, or picking up relatives. It is for you to judge if people will pay you €30 a trip, when Del Boy will do it for €20.

Taxi business operates in a crowded and desperate market.

You will need to speak fluent Spanish before you can apply for a Taxi licence ..you can call your business what ever you like ...but you will still be classed as a Taxi service ..the Spanish taxi's  service runs like the old black cabs did back in the sixties in the UK .. before the government allowed private mini cabs ..Spanish taxi badges are sold on or passed on to family. ..for very high prices I have heard of some going for around 50,000 or more...do not take chance running a illegall  service as you will most likely get your vehicle burnt out believe me ....to give you a idea of how restrictive and controlled the Spanish Taxi service is ...the government has recently close San Javier airport and transferred services to the new Corvera airport ...which comes under Murcia ...Murcia will only allow Murcia badge holder's to operate from the new airport ..any legal taxi service can drop off but they cannot pick up from another district...the legal taxi owners that use to operate from San Javier are now out of a job.

Agree with below many years ago a friend told me his mate  doing taxi runs illegal  was run off the road by a taxi apparently a few taxi drivers got together and one said he would do it and other taxi drivers agreed he would not be out of pocket 

I am sorry but I am sure your chances of getting this are zero. The official taxi drivers at the San Javier airport are in dispute with the authorities as they have been told that their taxi licences are not valid for the new Corvera airport. It was stated that only Taxis registered in Murcia City will be able to trade at Corvera.

I would just like to make it clear that I was never suggesting Alan operate an illegal Del Boy (British) airport run taxi service that is used and popular with many British expats. I was just pointing out what Alan was unfairly up against being fully legal and paying all his licence, taxes, and IVA fees.

I did read the newspaper reports years ago about the illegal Del Boy having his car set alight and burnt out by Spanish taxi drivers at Alicante airport. The Spanish taxi drivers were never prosecuted or even interviewed. The police and fire brigade attended the scene and just stood and laughed. However Del Boy got fully paid out by his insurance company and did not loose his no claims bonus.

I was not aware that all the licensed San Javier airport taxi drivers were being made redundant and their licences were becoming worthless. Perhaps the authorities are waiting for an acceptable bung. We are in Spain.

There is a difference (as in the UK) between public (liveried, "Hackney") taxis and what Brits know as private hire (or minicabs). I don't think Alan was hoping to obtain a public taxi licence - which is most definitely a closed shop and impossible for a foreigner to infiltrate. What I believe he is suggesting is setting up a private hire business to offer excursions etc. (not just airport transfers, which as pointed out, legal or not, could attract unwanted attention from jealous Spanish operators). However, as far as I know, this is still extremely difficult to do. I believe there are certain tests (in Spanish) which you have to take as an operator/driver, and a business running this type of service has to have a minimum sized fleet. But again, I don't know all the facts and anyway it may be different in different areas, so my advice to speak to a gestor who actually knows what's involved still stands.

You may be right Roberto. In Spain I thought its either a fully licensed taxi or shanks pony. But now that uber thingy has come on the scene who knows. They will probably take almost anyone whatever you speak. Doubt a gestor will be up to speed on this potential outfit yet. I heard uber got barred from Spain but are now back on the scene somehow. Might be worth checking out at least.

https://www.uber.com/en-ES/drive/requirements/

Only advising, not advertising. Delete if against forum rules.

This message was last edited by Kavanagh on 03/01/2019.

Alan, I've lived on the Costa del Sol for 36 years. When we arrived here my wife, (Spanish), had a good job in 1 of the  2 real estate agents in Sotogrande and I was trying to establish a computer repair business (which I did). Meanwhile I needed some income so the estate agency where my wife worked got me to do some airport runs for their clients. The local taxi drivers went bananas. One threatened me with a knife.

On one occasion I was stopped by the Guardia Civil Tráfico (motorbike cops) close to Sotogrande. I spoke Spanish, so I explained to them what I was doing, I had 2 elderly British ladies in the back, clients of the estate agents, and I was taking them to Málaga airport. They asked how much I was charging them to which I replied 'nothing', they were travelling free, courtesy of the estate agents.

The Guardia took them into the nearest GC office which was about 500metres away and came back with a statement, in Spanish, signed by the 2 ladies saying I was charging them .... whatever. The ladies did not speak Spanish and nobody in the Guardia spoke English. I was subsequently fined 200,000 Pesetas. Luckily for me the estate agent paid the fine.

On a subsequent trip to Málaga I went into the office of Tráfico, a big black skyscraper, found the right person, and asked the simple question 'if I own a business and have all the required licences am I allowed to transport my clients to and from the airport, railway station etc.' The lady said 'YES', definitely.

I was told 2 things, firstly the principal business of the company could not be to transport people, and secondly I should not expect the taxi drivers to accept that I had a right to transport my own clients. 'But the law says I can' 'YES, but don't expect the taxi drivers to agree'.

To this day it's still like that, Hotels that use a courtesy bus frequently get hassle from taxi drivers.

As someone else has said, 'this is Spain' If YOU can find a business that needs transport for its clients and you can do a deal with them that is a good way to start but make sure you never receive payment from the passengers, and make sure the business is kosher.

Quite frequently i had to transport more people than would fit in my car, so I got to know a couple of taxi drivers who would help me out. We did the airport run together, the taxi and me and that protected me from hassle to some extent.

I feel there are easier ways of earning a living than doing airport runs.