Two separate unmarked vehicle ride-hailing (TVDE) platforms operating in Portugal, Uber and Bolt, have shown that the protest of drivers and operators in the sector this Friday is not having a significant impact.
In a written response sent to Luse, Bolt stressed that he “respects the right to the demonstration that is taking place today” but said it had not had a “significant impact on the operation” until late in the morning.
“We, of course, are monitoring its development, which has not yet had a significant impact on our activities. As confirmed by APAD, [Associação Nacional Movimento TVDE]“We are ready to listen and engage in dialogue with driver partners and fleet managers to continue investing in the sustainable development of the sector,” the platform said in a statement.
An Uber source also told Lusa that the platform was “not feeling any impact” from the protest on operations until midday.
“When you open the app to order a car, everything works as usual, the wait time for the driver to arrive is normal,” the source said, adding that the platform “respects the protest of each person” and you do not do anything to cause it. questionable.
This Friday, TVDE partners and drivers are protesting in several cities across the country, demanding better working conditions.
Among the reasons for the stoppage, which is expected to last 24 hours in the city of Lisbon, with vehicles parked on Avenida da Liberdade, is the cost of trips, which at the moment partners and drivers consider “at the threshold of the companies’ profitability”, demanding protesters to pay no less 0.70 cents per kilometer.
Another issue concerns the intention to pay 50% of the kilometer of travel to pick up a client, in addition to reducing the cost of the platform commission from 25 to 15%.
Partners (companies that provide a centralized service on electronic platforms) and drivers also defend the revision of Law 45/2018, remembering that they have already requested meetings with parties with seats in Parliament to present their proposed amendments.
According to the latest data from the Institute of Mobility and Transport (IMT) on March 6, the number of TVDE driving licenses registered in Portugal is 77,441.
A review of the law governing TVDE, scheduled for 2022, has yet to progress, five years after it came into force on November 1, 2018.
In 2023, the PS government led by António Costa delayed a review of the law governing the sector, expecting it to be completed this year, after the European Union’s TVDE directive became known.