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Madrid taxis block access to tourist fair in anti-Uber protests

  • Police clash with striking taxi drivers as they try to block M40 highway in Madrid, Spain, January 23, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio Perez
    1/10

    Police clash with striking taxi drivers as they try to block M40 highway in Madrid

    Police clash with striking taxi drivers as they try to block M40 highway in Madrid, Spain, January 23, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio Perez
    Reuters
  • Taxi drivers raise their hands as they protest outside IFEMA fairgrounds during a taxi strike against regulation of ride-hailing and car-sharing services such as Uber and Cabify in Madrid, Spain, January 24, 2019. REUTERS/Susana Vera
    2/10

    Taxi drivers raise their hands as they protest outside IFEMA fairgrounds during a taxi strike against regulation of ride-hailing and car-sharing services such as Uber and Cabify in Madrid

    Taxi drivers raise their hands as they protest outside IFEMA fairgrounds during a taxi strike against regulation of ride-hailing and car-sharing services such as Uber and Cabify in Madrid, Spain, January 24, 2019. REUTERS/Susana Vera
    Reuters
  • Striking taxi drivers protest outside IFEMA fairgrounds during a taxi strike against regulation of ride-hailing and car-sharing services such as Uber and Cabify in Madrid, Spain, January 24, 2019. REUTERS/Susana Vera
    3/10

    Striking taxi drivers protest outside IFEMA fairgrounds during a taxi strike against regulation of ride-hailing and car-sharing services such as Uber and Cabify in Madrid

    Striking taxi drivers protest outside IFEMA fairgrounds during a taxi strike against regulation of ride-hailing and car-sharing services such as Uber and Cabify in Madrid, Spain, January 24, 2019. REUTERS/Susana Vera
    Reuters
  • Police officers detain a striking taxi driver during a taxi strike against regulation of ride-hailing and car-sharing services such as Uber and Cabify in Madrid, Spain, January 24, 2019. REUTERS/Susana Vera
    4/10

    Police officers detain a striking taxi driver during a taxi strike against regulation of ride-hailing and car-sharing services such as Uber and Cabify in Madrid

    Police officers detain a striking taxi driver during a taxi strike against regulation of ride-hailing and car-sharing services such as Uber and Cabify in Madrid, Spain, January 24, 2019. REUTERS/Susana Vera
    Reuters
  • Police clash with striking taxi drivers as they try to block M40 highway in Madrid, Spain, January 23, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio Perez
    5/10

    Police clash with striking taxi drivers as they try to block M40 highway in Madrid

    Police clash with striking taxi drivers as they try to block M40 highway in Madrid, Spain, January 23, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio Perez
    Reuters
  • Taxi drivers shout slogans during a strike against the regulation of ride-hailing and car-sharing services such as Uber and Cabify, outside IFEMA fair pavilions in Madrid, Spain, January 23, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio Perez
    6/10

    Taxi drivers shout slogans during a strike against the regulation of ride-hailing and car-sharing services such as Uber and Cabify in Madrid

    Taxi drivers shout slogans during a strike against the regulation of ride-hailing and car-sharing services such as Uber and Cabify, outside IFEMA fair pavilions in Madrid, Spain, January 23, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio Perez
    Reuters
  • Police clash with striking taxi drivers as they try to block M40 highway in Madrid, Spain, January 23, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio Perez
    7/10

    Police clash with striking taxi drivers as they try to block M40 highway in Madrid

    Police clash with striking taxi drivers as they try to block M40 highway in Madrid, Spain, January 23, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio Perez
    Reuters
  • Police detain a striking taxi driver during an attempt to block M40 highway in Madrid, Spain, January 23, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio Perez
    8/10

    Police detain a striking taxi driver during an attempt to block M40 highway in Madrid

    Police detain a striking taxi driver during an attempt to block M40 highway in Madrid, Spain, January 23, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio Perez
    Reuters
  • Police clash with striking taxi drivers as they try to block M40 highway in Madrid, Spain, January 23, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio Perez
    9/10

    Police clash with striking taxi drivers as they try to block M40 highway in Madrid

    Police clash with striking taxi drivers as they try to block M40 highway in Madrid, Spain, January 23, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio Perez
    Reuters
  • Taxi drivers block a highway near the Adolfo Suarez Barajas airport during the open-end strike against VTC regulations in Madrid, Spain, January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Juan Medina
    10/10

    Taxi drivers block a highway near the Adolfo Suarez Barajas airport during the open-end strike against VTC regulations in Madrid

    Taxi drivers block a highway near the Adolfo Suarez Barajas airport during the open-end strike against VTC regulations in Madrid, Spain, January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Juan Medina
    Reuters
Police clash with striking taxi drivers as they try to block M40 highway in Madrid, Spain, January 23, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio Perez
Taxi drivers raise their hands as they protest outside IFEMA fairgrounds during a taxi strike against regulation of ride-hailing and car-sharing services such as Uber and Cabify in Madrid, Spain, January 24, 2019. REUTERS/Susana Vera
Striking taxi drivers protest outside IFEMA fairgrounds during a taxi strike against regulation of ride-hailing and car-sharing services such as Uber and Cabify in Madrid, Spain, January 24, 2019. REUTERS/Susana Vera
Police officers detain a striking taxi driver during a taxi strike against regulation of ride-hailing and car-sharing services such as Uber and Cabify in Madrid, Spain, January 24, 2019. REUTERS/Susana Vera
Police clash with striking taxi drivers as they try to block M40 highway in Madrid, Spain, January 23, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio Perez
Taxi drivers shout slogans during a strike against the regulation of ride-hailing and car-sharing services such as Uber and Cabify, outside IFEMA fair pavilions in Madrid, Spain, January 23, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio Perez
Police clash with striking taxi drivers as they try to block M40 highway in Madrid, Spain, January 23, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio Perez
Police detain a striking taxi driver during an attempt to block M40 highway in Madrid, Spain, January 23, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio Perez
Police clash with striking taxi drivers as they try to block M40 highway in Madrid, Spain, January 23, 2019. REUTERS/Sergio Perez
Taxi drivers block a highway near the Adolfo Suarez Barajas airport during the open-end strike against VTC regulations in Madrid, Spain, January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Juan Medina
Reuters

MADRID (Reuters) - Hundreds of taxi drivers protested outside one of Madrid's largest tourist fairs on Wednesday, using their cabs to block access roads and burning rubbish as part of an open-ended strike against Uber and other ride-hailing services.

They have been striking against the services, which offer rides that undercut taxi prices online rather than being hailed in the street, since Monday, complaining that regulations are being ignored with unfair competition.

In September, Spain's government gave the ride-hailing companies four years to comply with regulations granting them just one new licence for every 30 taxi licences.

"It is not right that after working so many years like we have been, they now just want to sweep us out of the way," said taxi driver Francisco Sanchez. "They (politicians and ride-hailing services) are all in it together."

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With regions free to adopt their own restrictions, Catalonia plans a bill forcing customers of ride-hailing services to order transport from 15 minutes to an hour beforehand, a government source said.

Striking Barcelona taxi drivers will vote on the proposed restrictions on Wednesday, according to reports.

Unauto VTC, an association representing the ride-hailing services, said taxi sector "blackmail" had "kidnapped" Barcelona.

(Reporting by Guillermo Martinez and Paul Day; editing by John Stonestreet)