The organisation continues to warn about the situation of roadside assistance companies and is demanding a review of rates by insurers, motoring clubs and assistance platforms.
With the summer Departure Operation just around the corner, this Friday 1 July, and a forecast of journeys that, in the coming month alone, will reach 44 million, the National Roadside Assistance Alliance -which brings together the most important organisations in the sector at regional and national level- is publicly warning of the delicate situation of a sector that is key at this time of year.
Recently, the Alliance asked the National Markets and Competition Commission (CNMC) to investigate the abusive practices of the oligopsony of insurers, motoring clubs and roadside assistance platforms. In fact, a meeting with the CNMC to address this issue is pending. Indeed, the Alliance is already talking about setting up a dialogue table between both parties, with the aim of implementing urgent measures to prevent further deterioration -or partial disappearance- of the service.
For the time being, with the summer season and millions of journeys imminent, the roadside assistance companies in the National Alliance point out that it is not possible to guarantee the regular provision of their services, because many of them result in losses for these companies.
Roadside assistance at risk
It is the most depopulated areas -so-called “empty Spain”- that could end up paying the price for a situation which, in the Alliance’s view, is unsustainable. It is in these areas that tow-truck services generate the greatest losses for companies. The lack of supply and the prevailing rates are the main cause. Roadside assistance insurers, travel assistance platforms and motoring clubs currently pay prices that do not cover the operating costs of roadside assistance companies, the Alliance claims.
In this scenario, the requirement to provide a 24-hour, 365-day service is hard to meet, given the high labour costs and the resulting low productivity, especially on night shifts. While inputs -mainly fuel- have risen sharply, prices for services have remained stagnant for more than a decade.
This could cause serious tensions in the sector, according to the business Alliance, which also reports that many companies are starting to file for insolvency. The closure of these companies could lead to the loss of thousands of jobs, warns the organisation, which represents a large proportion of the almost 2,000 companies in Spain offering roadside assistance services.
The National Roadside Assistance Alliance is made up of the following regional and national associations and business organisations: ABEAC (Balearic Islands), ABEAC (Basque Country), ASCA (Catalonia), AMEAC (Madrid), ANESAV (National), ASCALEAC, (Castile and León), ASEDA (Andalusia), ASEGA (Galicia), ASEXTEAC (Extremadura), GRUPO CARTER (National), CEPAS (National), FEGRUAL (National Federation) AGREGA-GRUAS and REAC (National Grouping).