Aragón requires municipal licenses for VTCs for urban transport

The Department of Housing, Development, Logistics and Territorial Cohesion of the Government of Aragon has issued Order VFL/1445/2026, of October 1, which establishes the criteria for action in urban public passenger transport services in passenger vehicles. The provision, published in the Official Gazette of Aragon number 197, of October 9, 2026, with reference BOA20261009015, makes it clear that the state authorization for the rental of vehicles with a driver is not sufficient title to provide urban services. The order enters into force the day after its publication, October 10, 2026.

State authorization is not sufficient for urban transport

The text is based on the exclusive competence of the Autonomous Community of Aragon regarding land passenger transport with itineraries developed entirely within its territory, without prejudice to municipal competencies for the planning, management, inspection, and sanctioning of urban transport. Article 27 of Law 14/1998, of December 30, on Urban Transport of the Autonomous Community of Aragon, requires obtaining the municipal license beforehand for urban passenger services in passenger vehicles, both in the taxi modality and in the rental of vehicles with a driver.

The order recalls that Article 91.1 of Law 16/1987, of July 30, on the Regulation of Land Transport (LOTT), determines that state authorizations for the rental of vehicles with a driver exclusively enable the performance of interurban transport. Consequently, the provision of urban services in Aragon requires the municipal license provided for in the regional legislation.

Sealing of the vehicle and verification of the infringement

The first section of the order establishes that performing urban public passenger transport in passenger vehicles without the mandatory municipal license will imply, regardless of the corresponding pecuniary sanction, the sealing of the vehicle used. The sealing will be maintained for a maximum period of one year or until the sanctioning procedure is resolved, in accordance with Article 45.3 of Law 14/1998.

To adopt this measure, the verification of the infringement described in Article 42 a) of Law 14/1998 by agents with authority status, recorded in a public document, shall be sufficient.

Recidivism: temporary withdrawal and revocation

• With municipal VT or VTC authorization: two very serious infractions within a twelve-month period entail the temporary withdrawal of the authorization and license for a maximum period of one year.
• The third and subsequent infractions determine the impossibility of assigning the vehicle to any authorization or license for one year and, in any case, the revocation of the latter.
• With state authorization: three final sanctions in administrative proceedings within a two-year period for infractions of Article 140.39 of the LOTT, counted from the first, in services performed under the same authorization, may lead to its revocation.

Inspection coordination and entry into force

The order promotes the coordination of inspection activities aimed at verifying compliance with the required requirements and detecting patterns of repetition or recidivism in the commission of infractions. To this end, it empowers the General Directorate of Transport to gather information from local entities that could lead to the revocation of the aforementioned licenses and authorizations.

The text is based on the experience of Order FOM/308/2025, of March 19, regarding precautionary measures in the face of the possible commission of very serious infractions due to the breach of the operating conditions of VTC licenses, and notes the persistence of very serious infractions for lacking the enabling municipal license, with the economic and social harm that such intrusion represents in the sector. The regulation is limited to specifying the response to these services and does not alter the essential configuration of the urban transport system.

The measure reinforces the position of taxi drivers with a municipal license against competition from vehicles with state authorization and toughens the framework for VTC drivers operating on urban soil. As of October 10, driving without a municipal license in Aragon exposes the driver to the immediate sealing of the vehicle and, in case of recidivism, to the loss of their authorization.

Source: Official Gazette of Aragon, number 197, October 9, 2026, section III. Other Provisions and Agreements (official reference: BOA20261009015).