Page 11 - Demo

February 2026 | Gazette Life | 11Do you have to know the island%u2019s roads well? Is there an equivalent of the London cabbies%u2019 doing %u201cThe Knowledge %u201c, for example? Not really. It%u2019s a small island and you learn it pretty quickly. Now that there are GPS systems it%u2019s easy to get directions if you don%u2019t know the destination. A bigger problem is pronunciation.What do you mean?Foreign customers can have difficulties pronouncing the Spanish names of streets or restaurants, so sometimes I ask them to write it down. Once, a Scottish guy hailed me, pointed to the taxi in front and said %u201cFollow that cab!%u201d. I was about to say that that only happens in films, but he was going to a restaurant with the people in the other taxi. What we didn%u2019t know is that they couldn%u2019t pronounce the name %u2013 we ended up doing two whole circuits of Puerto del Carmen%u2019s one-way system with no idea of what was happening! Do you think the island%u2019s taxi service should be unified, instead of being run from the seven council areas?I%u2019d support it, but it has to be done correctly. There are big differences in each area. In T%u00edas, for example, we get good tips, but in Arrecife tipping culture doesn%u2019t really exist. Arrecife drivers are often called for shorter local journeys, and its hard work. Many of them choose to only work on mornings. Drivers will go where the money is %u2013 if things were deregulated, everyone would be looking for airport fares or the prospect of good tips in the resorts, and there wouldn%u2019t be any coverage in the rest of the island.What about the queues at the airport?They%u2019re a problem. I tell officials that a tourist who has to wait an hour for a cab after several hours travel is likely to hire a private transfer next time, which damages the sector. It%u2019s also partly due to the airport, which auctions landing slots to the airlines %u2013 that means many will choose the cheapest periods, meaning many planes arrive at the same time. Are there too many cars on Lanzarote?It%u2019s saturated. There are more cars all the time, and hire cars are completely uncontrolled. At the Rancho Texas roundabout, for example, there are always traffic jams at around 4.20 pm, when workers in the resort finish their shift. It%u2019s earlier now, around 3.30 pm. Will widening the main road help with that?Perhaps a little, but it%u2019s not the road that%u2019s the problem. We don%u2019t need to destroy more of the island to build roads and extend the airport. We need to manage what we%u2019ve got. Are the island%u2019s cabbies good drivers, would you say?I think so. There are a few younger ones who put their foot down, but I don%u2019t think you gain much by speeding. You%u2019ll only save ten minutes at most on a fare to Playa Blanca, for example. It%u2019s not worth it. What changes would you like to see in the near future?I%u2019d like to see them tackle pirate taxis, which are run from WhatsApp groups. I understand it %u2013 in Arrecife, there are often no cabs available, so people with important appointments need to do what they can, but they%u2019re undermining the official cabs. What would you say is the main requirement for a good taxi driver?Empathy with the customer. I always say %u201cHello%u201d, smile and find out what they want. Even if a passenger gets in and orders %u201cHotel Fariones%u201d, I%u2019ll say %u201cHello%u201d, and they%u2019ll often apologise for being rude. Friendliness helps, and it also pays! %u201cDrivers will always go where the money is.%u201d