Cab Drivers Block Access to Eldorado Airport in Bogota, Colombia

During the afternoon and evening of yesterday, Tuesday, April 16, cab drivers blocked the access to Eldorado airport in Bogota. In a new protest against the Uber platform, for five hours cab drivers intermittently prevented the free access of vehicles and interrupted public transport along 26th Street, which gives access to the airport from the city center.

In a new show of force, and in spite of public indignation, the cab drivers caused mobility difficulties in the vicinity of Eldorado, although without altering the air service which was not delayed or cancelled at any time.

Finally, the police cleared the protest, but spokesmen of the cab sector threaten to repeat the events. They demand a monopoly on transportation at the airport and an express prohibition on private individuals who provide service from the Uber platform.

Protests are repeated

Yesterday’s protest, involving around 50 cab drivers, showed that the solution to their concerns is still far away.

During several hours of the afternoon and evening, the concentration of cabs mainly affected public transportation. More than 10 city bus lines stopped their service. In addition to bus transportation, the main problems were caused to those trying to leave the airport, as protesters stopped private vehicles “suspected” of being employees of the Uber platform.

Some local media have echoed the protests, which focused on the figure of the mayor of the capital, Carlos Galan. Although no one in the cab sector has wanted to officially state the reason for the protest and their demands, some of the participants said anonymously yesterday that they will not stop the protests until they “get Uber out of the airport”.

A public statement was made by the president of the apps guild, Samai Camacho, defending the activity of Uber workers. Samai said that they are part of the “popular economy, both they and we live from the same thing every day”, advocating the need for people working for the platform to “earn a living”.

At times there were tense scenes, with clashes between several cab drivers, motorcyclists and private drivers. Stones and bottles were also thrown. The police managed to disperse the rally, but an hour later it broke out again, forcing the police to intervene.

Mayor says he will not allow blockades at Bogota Airport

This morning, the Mayor of Bogota, Carlos Fernando Galan, emphasized that no blockades will be allowed on the roads to the airport. “In Bogota no one is going to block the Eldorado airport nor are we going to allow anyone other than the competent authorities empowered by law to make roadblocks or inspections,” he said this morning in relation to the detentions of private cars carried out last night by cab drivers.

“When I received information about a blockade on El Dorado Avenue in the vicinity of the airport, my instruction was clear: intervene to lift the blockade. The police went in to disperse the blockade, but it was reactivated several times, forcing them to intervene repeatedly until El Dorado Avenue was completely clear,” the mayor wrote on his social networks.

The authorities assure that they will avoid a repetition of scenes like those experienced on the night of April 16, when fierce arguments between drivers caused travelers to walk to Eldorado airport, as some cab drivers took users off their vehicles.