The Professional Federation of Madrid taxi (FPTM) presented the report this Tuesday Assessment of taxi and VTC service demand coverage produced by Sigma Two.
This report details that 43.5% of the population of the Community of Madrid prefers the taxi service to the VTC or almost. 70% of respondents Keep in mind that VTCs increase their rates during large events such as festivals and concerts. Another deciding factor is safety.
At a press conference, before the presentation of the data, Julio Sanz, president of FPTM and ANTAXI, said that the taxi is “a necessary service” and that in recent years, “this has increased.”
“Taxis are used for various reasons: for their price, for the professionalism of the drivers and above all for safety, according to municipal police data“Taxis have half the accident rate of VTCs and two factors encourage customers to choose taxis,” Sanz said.
The FPTM president also spoke about technology and the taxi sector: “It has been said that the taxi was not modernized, but this is not true, before the VTCs the taxi already provided the service by telephone or at street level. The taxi has different platforms, such as the peditaxi, which brings together nearly 20,000 and 5,000 of them are in Madrid.”
Regarding the abandonment of VTC customers to use taxis, Sanz indicated that the main reason is “the price”: “They announce one price and then charge another, which doesn’t happen in taxis. Especially during events, when prices are particularly high, the final price is sometimes higher than the price initially offered.”
Rates and security
The report Assessment of the coverage of demand for taxi and VTC services was prepared by sigma two. 1,400 surveys were carried out, which gives “a result with a margin of error of less than 3%”as Rosa Diaz, general director of Sigma Dos, said at a press conference.
The methodology for preparing the aforementioned report was a telephone and online survey conducted between July 12 and 23, 2024. The general data reflects that more than 81% of the population uses taxis: 5.2% use it weekly, 23.4% use it monthly and 52.6% use it occasionally.
Among those surveyed, 88.1% frequently use taxis and VTCs, and of this total, 13.3% use taxis and VTCs. 5.4% use VTCsThe increase in taxi prices compared to VTC is due to the fact that 24.1% of respondents say that the price has increased, 24.1% say they no longer need it and 16.6% say they prefer taxis because they are more professional.
All this shows that 43.5% of the population prefers taxis to VTCs: “It’s a sector that has succeeded retain many customers for various reasons,” Rosa Diaz said.
Among these reasons, 32.4% of respondents say that it is because of its immediacy that it is faster and easier to get it on the street. 24.1% say the key factor is the professionalism of drivers and 21.7% say it’s because it’s everywhere. Other users also appreciated the safety of the taxi and the fact that the price is cheaper.
When asked “Why do you use a taxi rather than a VTC?”, the main reason was the price, although respondents also highlighted professionalism and immediacy.
Regarding demand and waiting times, 62.8% of respondents say that with the current fleet, the demand is covered. An opinion that is maintained by those who use taxis as well as VTCs or both services.
On the other hand, 54.1% of people who participated in the survey say that it is easier and quicker to take a taxi than a VTC, a figure which rises to 87.9% among users. Taxi exclusives.
Regarding waiting times, 27.5% of users say that the average time to get a taxi is less than five minutes and 47.7% think that the waiting time is between five and ten minutes.
On the other hand, 75.2% of respondents know that the taxi service has its rates regulated by the administration. Furthermore, 69.7% of the Madrid population believes that VTCs actually increase prices during major events or festivals.
