New rules for ride-hailing vehicles with driver (VTCVTC Vehículo de turismo con conductor: a rental car with driver, usually booked through an app, as opposed to a taxi.)

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. Nationwide VTC authorizations will only allow interurban passenger services, meaning trips that cross the boundary of a municipality or joint urban zone. Services that start and end within one municipality will fall under urban rules.
2. As a general rule, VTC services must start in the autonomous community where the authorization is registered. There are two exceptions: pre-booked pickups at ports and airports, and temporary surges in demand that the competent authority may regulate.
3. Autonomous communities may modify, temporarily or permanently, conditions for VTC services that run entirely within their territory: pre-booking, customer solicitation, routes, schedules or vehicle technical requirements. Municipal powers must be respected.
4. Existing VTC authorizations may keep providing urban services for four years from the entry into force, as compensation for the harm caused by the new rules. Holders who think this is not enough may request additional compensation within three months, granted as an extension of the period, exceptionally up to two more years.
5. Within six months the Government must submit to the Cortes Generales a bill adapting penalties to the new rules, and the Dirección General de Transporte Terrestre will give autonomous communities, and local entities that request it, access to the VTC service registry.
6. The Ministry of Public Works and Transport will submit an annual report on the results of the law and its effect on mobility in major cities. In addition, a working group will be created to share good practices among the State, the communities, companies and affected city councils.

Who it affects

• VTC authorization holders: Their national authorizations will only cover interurban services, with a four-year transition period to keep operating urban services and the option to request additional compensation.
• VTC companies and drivers: They must start services in the autonomous community of their authorization and report the start and end points of each service to the Administration.
• Autonomous communities: They may set or modify conditions for VTC services that run only within their territory and will have access to the service registry.
• City councils: They keep their powers over traffic, parking, schedules and pollution restrictions for urban services, and may take part in the working group.
• Urban transport users: The law seeks to balance the supply of VTCs and taxis to avoid mobility, congestion and service quality problems.

Words worth knowing

VTC

Vehículo de turismo con conductor: a rental car with driver, usually booked through an app, as opposed to a taxi.

Transporte interurbano

Interurban transport: trips that go beyond the territory of a single municipality or joint urban service zone. Urban transport stays within one municipality.

Real decreto-ley

Royal decree-law: a rule with the force of law that the Government can pass urgently in extraordinary matters, without full parliamentary procedure first.

Silencio administrativo

Administrative silence: if the Administration does not answer within the set period, the request is deemed rejected.

It summarizes the law as published in the BOE. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries