The new law separates by statute the three parts of the sector that train, operate and act as intermediaries. A platform cannot have a fleet or operators, an operator cannot have a school, a school cannot be an operator. Here are the rules, one by one.
The short answer
The TVDE law imposes five separations. The platform manager may not hold, finance or have an interest, direct or indirect, in TVDE vehicles, TVDE operators or driver training bodies (article 12(5) and article 20(11)). The operator may not hold or finance TVDE driver training bodies (article 2(9)). And the schools and bodies that run the courses may not carry out the operator activity (article 10(11)).
Of these five, only one dates from 2018: the ban on the platform holding or financing vehicles. The other four are new in Law no. 59/2026.
The five separations
who
may not
rule
new or old
Platform manager
Own TVDE vehicles, or finance or have an interest, directly or indirectly, in any business involving the purchase, rental, leasing or other use of those vehicles.
art. 12(5)
already existed in 2018 (art. 12(2)); "directly or indirectly" is new
Platform manager
Own, finance or have an interest, directly or indirectly, in any business involving TVDE operators.
art. 20(11)
new in 2026
Platform manager
Own, finance or have an interest, directly or indirectly, in any business involving TVDE driver training bodies.
art. 20(11)
new in 2026
TVDE operator
Own, finance or have an interest, directly or indirectly, in any business involving TVDE driver training bodies.
art. 2(9)
new in 2026
Driving school or training body that runs the TVDE courses
Carry out the activity of TVDE operator at the same time.
art. 10(11)
new in 2026
The reach of the words: "directly or indirectly"
Four of the five rules use the same formula: it may not "own, finance or have an interest, directly or indirectly, in any business involving" a given entity. The formula is broad on purpose. Avoiding being the formal owner is not enough. Financing, lending money or having any interest in the business, even through another company, is covered. The law does not define what "having an interest" means, and it will be up to the competent bodies and the courts to draw the line in doubtful cases.
The rule on training bodies (article 10(11)) is worded differently: the schools and bodies that run the courses "may not at the same time carry out the activity of TVDE operator". It prohibits carrying out the activity, not holding a stake. But article 2(9) covers the other side: the operator may not have a stake in the training body. Together, the two rules close the loop in both directions.
Why the law separates these activities
The text of the law does not explain the reasons. But the design of the regime makes them fairly clear, and that is the reading we offer here.
The platform is the one that checks the others. The platform manager may only accept operators, drivers and vehicles that meet the requirements (article 20(5)), must block those that stop meeting them (article 14(2)) and defines the access and blocking clauses for operators (article 20(8)). If the platform owned operators or cars, it would be checking itself and competing with the operators it serves as intermediary, and could favour its own in the allocation of trips or in the blocking rules.
Training is the gateway to the profession. The training certificate is a requirement for the driver certificate (article 10(2)(b)). An operator that controlled the school would control who enters the sector and on what terms, with the risk of lax training or packages that tie the driver to the operator from day one. The same applies to a platform that owns schools.
Financing vehicles creates dependence. A platform that financed cars for drivers or operators would also become their creditor. That is the risk the 2018 ban, now reinforced with "directly or indirectly", aims to rule out.
The managing partner of an operator holds a stake in a driving school that runs the TVDE courses
not allowed
Article 2(9) prohibits the operator from having an interest, directly or indirectly, in any business involving TVDE driver training bodies. A stake held through the managing partner is the kind of indirect link the expression is meant to catch. On the school’s side, article 10(11) also prevents it from carrying out the operator activity.
A platform offers drivers a car rental contract with a partner company
it depends
If the platform finances that rental or has an interest in the business, directly or indirectly, it is prohibited by article 12(5). If it merely promotes an offer from an independent company, without profiting from it or financing it, the situation is less clear. The law does not define "having an interest", so everything depends on the specific terms of the partnership.
A TVDE driver wants to teach as a trainer at a school
it depends
The incompatibilities in the law are aimed at entities, operators, platforms and training bodies, not at individuals working as trainers. Trainers’ qualifications will be defined by the training implementing regulation (article 10(12)(b)). If the driver is also a partner in an operator, the question changes and article 2(9) may come into play.
what is allowed
a taxi operator also being a TVDE operator, with its own licence
a driver owning the car and holding an operator licence
an operator working with several platforms
a driver working on several platforms, keeping to ten hours in total
what is not allowed
a platform having its own fleet or financing TVDE cars
a platform holding or financing TVDE operators
a platform or an operator holding or financing TVDE training schools
a school that runs the TVDE courses also being an operator
What happens to those who do not comply
Here the law is less complete than it seems. Of the five separations, only the one in article 12(5) is referred to in a fine paragraph: article 25(2)(n), which punishes the use of vehicles in breach of several paragraphs of article 12, including paragraph 5. Curiously, article 25-B attributes paragraph (n) to the driver and the operator, not to the platform manager, which is the one the ban is aimed at.
The other four incompatibilities have no paragraph of their own in the list of offences. That does not mean they have no consequences. The IMT may order measures to uphold legality, such as the suspension, restriction or termination of the activity, when the operator (article 9(1)) or the platform manager (article 17(10)) fails to meet the operating requirements. And the training implementing regulation will govern the suspension and revocation of the recognition of training bodies (article 10(12)(c)). The full list of fines is in thelist of TVDE fines.
Situations predating the law
The law has no specific transitional rule for those already in one of these situations on 1 September 2026, such as an operator with a stake in a school. For platforms, the new licence they must obtain within one year (article 4(3) of Law no. 59/2026) will be the natural moment for checking. Anyone in this situation should reorganise their structure and seek legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Can a platform such as Uber or Bolt have its own TVDE fleet?
No. Article 12(5) prohibits the platform manager from owning TVDE vehicles and from financing or having an interest in businesses that buy, rent or lease those vehicles. Article 20(11) adds that it also may not hold, finance or have an interest in TVDE operators, directly or indirectly.
Can a TVDE operator open a school to train its drivers?
No. Article 2(9) prevents the operator from owning, financing or having an interest, directly or indirectly, in TVDE driver training bodies. And article 10(11) prevents the bodies that run the courses from carrying out the operator activity. The separation works both ways.
Can a driving school be a TVDE operator?
If it runs the initial or continuing training courses for TVDE drivers, it may not carry out the operator activity at the same time (article 10(11)). The law does not expressly prohibit a school that does not run TVDE courses from being an operator, but article 2(9) only looks at TVDE driver training bodies.
Can a taxi operator also be a TVDE operator?
Yes. Article 2(4) expressly allows legal persons holding a taxi operator permit to also carry out the TVDE operator activity, by complying with the applicable licensing. This combination is not among the incompatibilities.
What is the fine for breaching these incompatibilities?
Only the ban on the platform holding or financing vehicles is referred to in a fine paragraph: article 25(2)(n), which covers article 12(5), with fines of 5,000 to 44,000 euros for legal persons. The other incompatibilities have no paragraph of their own. Non-compliance can nonetheless lead the IMT to order measures such as the suspension, restriction or termination of the activity.
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