practical guide

Taxi drivers on the platforms: how it works

One of the most debated novelties of the revision is opening the platforms to taxis. A taxi may now operate as a TVDE, meeting requirements and rules of its own. This guide explains the path, what changes, what stays the same and the positions of the sector.

A door that opens

Under the new law, taxis may register for the TVDE activity. It does not replace the taxi regime: it adds a possibility to it. A taxi that wants to work through the apps may now do so, provided it meets the requirements applicable to TVDE vehicles and registers with a licensed electronic platform manager, such as Uber or Bolt. It is an opening that creates opportunities, but also obligations and limits that are worth knowing well.

The steps to join

1. Meet the TVDE vehicle requirements

The first step is to make sure the vehicle meets the technical requirements demanded of TVDE vehicles, namely regarding age, insurance and inspection, and, under the new law, the identifying badge issued by the IMT. The maximum vehicle age becomes 10 years, or 12 years for electric vehicles.

2. Registration with a licensed platform manager

To operate as a TVDE, the taxi must be registered with a licensed electronic platform manager. It is that manager, the company that owns the app, that connects the driver to passengers through the platform. Without that registration, there is no TVDE service.

3. Comply with the TVDE regime rules in that service

When operating as a TVDE, the taxi is subject to that regime. According to the available information, this means that, in that service, it cannot use taxi ranks or bus lanes. Trips are made by booking through the app, with the price agreed and given in advance, and not by picking up on the street or with a taximeter.

What it keeps from the classic taxi regime

Joining the TVDE activity does not require giving up the taxi. In the classic regime, the taxi can still use ranks, bus lanes and a taximeter, pick up passengers on the street and benefit from the sector's own rules. In practice, the taxi driver can now switch between two regimes, depending on the service being provided at each moment. The key is to understand that the rules that apply depend on the regime under which the trip is made.

flowchart TD
  A[licensed taxi driver] --> B[classic taxi regime]
  A --> C[registration for the TVDE activity]
  C --> D[meet the TVDE vehicle requirements]
  D --> E[registration with a licensed platform manager]
  E --> F[operate as TVDE on the platforms]
  B --> G[ranks, bus lanes and taximeter]
  F --> H[no ranks and no bus lanes in that service]

the dual regime: classic taxi and operating as a TVDE

Pros and cons

The opening has arguments on both sides. In favour, it gives the taxi driver access to the demand that passes through the apps, allows quieter periods in the classic regime to be put to use and diversifies sources of work, without losing the taxi licence. Against, it means meeting additional requirements, being subject to the platforms' rules and pricing dynamics, including the end of the cap on dynamic pricing, and managing the complexity of operating under two sets of rules.

The positions of the sector

This integration was among the most contested during the process. The IMT and the AMT opposed it, arguing that these are distinct regimes. The AMT warned that taxis entering and leaving the TVDE regime could create confusion in the records and make enforcement almost unfeasible. The APTAD considered the equivalence irresponsible. Several taxi associations complain of unfair competition from TVDE, and there were demonstrations by TVDE drivers against the integration. The Secretary of State for Mobility, Cristina Pinto Dias, acknowledged that the alignment raises challenges. We present these positions without taking sides: they are part of the public debate about the law.

what you can do

register the taxi for the TVDE activity, meeting the TVDE vehicle requirements
register with a licensed platform manager, such as Uber or Bolt
keep operating in the classic taxi regime, with ranks, bus lanes and a taximeter
switch between the two regimes, depending on the service provided at each moment

what you cannot do

use taxi ranks or bus lanes when providing a service as a TVDE
operate as a TVDE without registering with a licensed platform manager
in the TVDE service, pick up passengers on the street or charge with a taximeter
rely on these rules yet: they depend on the law coming into force and on regulation

Practical cases

I have a taxi licence. Can I accept trips through Uber without ceasing to be a taxi?

allowed

Yes, under the new law. The taxi may register for the TVDE activity and register with a licensed platform manager, keeping the classic taxi regime in parallel. In that TVDE service, however, it is subject to the regime's rules, with no ranks or bus lanes. Remember that this possibility only applies after the law comes into force.

I am making a trip picked up through the app. Can I use the bus lane to get there faster?

not allowed

No. When you provide a service as a TVDE, even as a taxi driver, you are subject to that regime's rules, which according to the available information do not allow the use of bus lanes in that service. Bus lanes and ranks remain reserved for the classic taxi regime.

Depends on entry into force and regulation

The integration of taxis into the platforms was approved on 17 July 2026, but only takes effect after promulgation and publication in the official gazette (Diário da República), with technical aspects, such as the badge, depending on a government order (portaria). Confirm the framework in force before making business decisions.

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