Taxis and buses demand priority passage at Santa Cruz sobriety checkpoints

The Taxi Guild Association reports up to two-hour delays and tripled fares due to Civil Guard checks following events.

Generic image of police emergency lights reflecting on wet asphalt at night.
IA

Generic image of police emergency lights reflecting on wet asphalt at night.

The Taxi Guild Association of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has demanded priority passage for public transport at the alcohol and drug checkpoints conducted by the Civil Guard following events such as the Cook Music Fest and Carnival.

The organization complains that taxi passengers and bus users are forced to endure delays of over two hours, causing fares to triple for short journeys.
According to the association, a trip from Santa Cruz to Las Caletillas, normally around 22 euros, can increase to approximately 55 euros due to delays that can last two and a half hours. Similarly, a journey to Añaza rises from 15 to about 45 euros.
The Guild criticizes the lack of logic in the current system, where citizens are asked to be responsible and not drive under the influence of alcohol, yet public transport, a encouraged alternative, faces long waits.
Zebenzuí Pérez, a representative of the Guild, pointed out that people are asked to use public transport but are then not given priority passage, leading to inefficiency and high costs for users.
Therefore, the association has appealed to the mayor of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, José Manuel Bermúdez, to urge the Civil Guard Command to establish a specific protocol to expedite the passage of taxis and buses at these checkpoints.