Costa Blanca

Benidorm taxi drivers want more licences

Taxi drivers in Benidorm have been protesting outside of Town Hall for three days now. The Benidorm and Marina Baixa Taxi Workers’ Union got together again today from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. to make their demands to the local government known: more licences for taxis in the town so that people don’t have to wait as long.

This is what Juan Manuel Ruiz, president of the new association, says. He also promises that they will keep protesting every Friday until the City Council finds an answer. To do this, they have a meeting on February 18th that is very important. Other groups in the same field, as well as the Councillor for Mobility, Francis Muñoz, will be there.

Taxi drivers pay attention to two things. On the one hand, there aren’t enough licences to meet the demand, especially during the busiest tourist months. This time frame has grown over time, and they now think that the cars are on the street 24 hours a day for about eight months of the year. In particular, from Easter until after the Major Patron Saint Festivals. Other than these months, they also have busy times at certain times of the year, like around Christmas. In this way, Ruiz says they have been “overwhelmed with work” since 2023.

On the other hand, they stress how “particularly serious” it is for permits for cars that have been modified. Taxi drivers say that people could have to wait up to an hour during the busy season. Because of this, customers complain to the workers “every day,” and the lines that are always full give the business a bad name, as Ruiz says. So, they stress how important it is to get more cabs with these features without changing regular licences into adapted ones. In other words, a step that makes the daily fleet bigger.

The City Council claims they go beyond the rates set by the Taxi Law, even doubling the maximum number of permits. They have 232 licences right now. “We are well above what the law says,” he said. As for permits for people with limited movement, they have 14. What he said was that he wanted to rise because “Benidorm is a city that is very committed to accessibility.” At least 5% of the amount must be paid, and the town has 6.3% so far.

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Costa Blanca

Six arrested at paella event in Alicante

According to a statement from the police headquarters, the National Police conducted a search in the city of Alicante during the university paella event at the Rabasa fairgrounds. The raid resulted in the identification of 97 individuals and the arrest of six.

On Wednesday, April 16th, approximately 19,000 individuals attended the event, which is held during the Easter break.

In addition to the individuals who were identified, officers confiscated 18 vehicles, issued seven penalties for possession of narcotic substances, and apprehended six individuals for a variety of offences, such as robbery with intimidation, vehicle theft, burglary, legal action, and theft.

The operation was coordinated by the Alicante Provincial Police Station and involved officers from the Prevention and Reaction Units, Operational Response Group Units, the Mobile Brigade, the Citizen Service Group, dog handlers, and support officers from the various Brigades and the Northern District Police Station. The operation proceeded without incident as usual. Additionally, officers from the Alicante Local Police took part.

Officers from the Aerial Media Unit used police drones to monitor the event from the air.

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Costa Blanca

Benidorm will celebrate the 40th ‘Bike Day for All’ on May 4th

The 40th edition of “Bicycle Day for All” will happen on Sunday, May 4th, in collaboration with local clubs Unión Ciclista Benidorm, Club Ciclista Benidorm Beach, and Club Ciclista Sol Benidorm, as well as other sponsors, according to the Benidorm City Council’s Sports Department.

As in previous years, the Foietes Park auditorium will host the rally at 9:30 a.m. Several hundred devotees of these two-wheeled vehicles, whose numbers are increasing annually, will convene. The route will remain consistent with that of previous years, and the event will commence at 10:00 a.m. It will commence in the park and proceed along Jaime I, Armada Española, Vicente Llorca Alós, Paseo de Tamarindos, and Paseo de Tamarindos, where a junction will be established, before returning to the park. The route will be level and approximately 7.2 kilometres long, making it suitable for all types. Nevertheless, the City Council would like to remind all participants that helmets are mandatory for participation in the activity.

The event is timed to coincide with Mother’s Day, making it an ideal opportunity to engage in this activity with the entire family. Javier Jordá, Councillor for Sports, stated that the event is designed to “encourage them to exercise, share great moments with them, and promote the use of bicycles as a healthy and enjoyable form of leisure activity.” Following the event, attendees will participate in a traditional bicycle raffle.

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Torrevieja aims to have 200 local police officers by 2027

The Torrevieja City Council, a municipality with a registered population of 108,000, has recently added six new local police officers to its personnel. During the summer months, the population of the municipality doubles. Nevertheless, the governing team, which is led by the Popular Party (PP) candidate Eduardo Dolón, aims to have 200 active officers by the end of the current term in 2027. This number is crucial to provide the services that the residents of Torrevieja and the thousands of tourists who visit us annually deserve.

The Mayor of Torrevieja, Eduardo Dolón, confirmed these facts to the Councillors for Personnel and Internal Affairs, María José Ruiz, and the Head of Security and Emergencies, Federico Alarcón, during the swearing-in of the six officers and two other municipal workers. He welcomed and encouraged them to work with outstanding dedication to continue improving the quality of municipal services in Torrevieja after they had sworn in or promised their positions.

In particular, a Chief Heritage Architect and a replacement Green Team worker, as well as six local police officers (four constables and two officers), have been appointed. Eduardo Dolón emphasised the financial investments that Torrevieja City Council has made in recent years to increase the number of police officers. With over 108,000 registered residents, this initiative aims to meet the city’s increasing security needs.