Vilabella definitively approves the municipal taxi service regulations

The Plenary of the Vilabella City Council has definitively approved the regulatory bylaws for the taxi service in the municipality, which establish the requirements and conditions for the provision of the activity. The agreement was finalized at the session on July 28, 2026, and is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Tarragona on September 25, 2026, with the reference CVE 2026-08843 and 15 pages of text. The publication in the gazette marks the entry into force of the regulation.

The text passed the initial approval of the Plenary on May 26, 2026, and was subsequently submitted for public consultation for 30 business days. The claims and suggestions submitted during this process were resolved through the plenary agreement of July 28, 2026, which elevated the regulation to definitive status. The municipal secretary, Montserrat Buqué Serra, signs the announcement.

The regulation is framed within Law 19/2003, of July 4, on taxis, and the regulations that implement it, and also refers to Law 12/1987, of May 28, and Decree 319/1990, of December 21, as well as Decree 179/1995, of June 13.

An urban service subject to prior licensing

The purpose of the regulation is the regulation and organization of the urban taxi service within the municipal district of Vilabella. The text defines the taxi service as the transport of passengers in vehicles of up to nine seats, including the driver, carried out on behalf of others through the payment of a fee.

The provision of the service is subject to obtaining a prior municipal license, which authorizes the holder for each vehicle. Each license has a single holder and refers to a specific vehicle, with identified license plate and chassis number.

• Taxi licenses authorize transport in vehicles of five seats, including the driver.
• Exceptionally, and with a prior report from the Catalan Taxi Council, the provision of service in vehicles of up to nine seats may be authorized.
• The vehicle assigned to a new license must be a passenger car with a maximum age of two years from the first registration.
• The awardee must process the interurban transport authorization before the Generalitat within a period of six months.

Requirements, limits, and licensing regime

The granting of newly created licenses will be done by competitive tender, with bases that guarantee publicity, equal opportunity, free competition, and non-discrimination. Natural and legal persons may hold more than one license, up to a maximum of two.

• The holder must begin providing the service within 10 calendar days from obtaining the license, extendable only once for an additional 10 days.
• Urban service licenses are granted for an indefinite validity period, conditional upon the continued fulfillment of the conditions.
• A provisional suspension of up to four years may be authorized, renewable for one-year periods.
• The license is extinguished by resignation, by failure to provide the service for six months, or by non-compliance with the essential conditions.
• Transfer requires prior authorization from the City Council, which may only deny it within a period of one month.

The text also mandates guaranteeing coverage on weekends, holidays, and night shifts, through a system of availability or on-call shifts that the City Council may establish, and gives priority to services requested from the municipality of Vilabella.

Rights and duties of users

The regulation deploys a catalog of 19 rights and 12 duties for users. Among the rights are receiving the service under conditions of equality and non-discrimination, knowing the license number and the rates, obtaining a receipt or invoice with the price, origin, and destination, and having electronic payment methods available.

• Free transport of guide dogs or other assistance dogs.
• Requesting that smoking be prohibited inside the vehicle and that the radio volume be lowered.
• Receiving assistance for people with reduced mobility to enter or exit the vehicle.
• Expressing oneself in any of the official languages in communications with the driver.
• Users of the municipality have priority in the provision of the service over external requests.

Regarding duties, these include paying the price according to the rate regime, maintaining correct behavior, not eating or drinking inside without the driver’s authorization, and communicating the destination at the start of the service.

Validity and challenge

The regulation enters into force once published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Tarragona and will remain in force until its modification or repeal is agreed upon. The final approval agreement ends the administrative route, meaning a contentious-administrative appeal may be filed before the contentious-administrative Chamber of the High Court of Justice of Catalonia within two months starting from the day after notification.

The regulation provides formal coverage for a service essential for the mobility of the residents of Vilabella and establishes a comprehensive framework of rights, obligations, and a sanctioning regime for taxi professionals and users of the municipality.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Tarragona, September 25, 2026, section I, pp. 1-15 (official reference: CVE 2026-08843).