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Payment and invoices in TVDE: what you must be shown

How a TVDE trip is paid for, what information the app must show before and during the journey, and what the invoice must contain. It is all in article 15 of the law, which the 2026 revision changed in small but relevant ways.

The short answer

A TVDE trip is always paid through the app and by electronic means.There is no cash payment to the driver. Before and during the trip, the app must show the price calculation formula, with the total, the platform’s commission and the rates applied, and must offer a fixed price as an alternative. At the end, the platform sends an electronic invoice with five mandatory elements, including the unique trip code and the breakdown of the price calculation.

Almost all of this already existed in 2018. The 2026 revision repealed the obligation to give a price estimate, removed the cap on dynamic pricing and established that the 25% commission is calculated on the value excluding VAT. This article deals with payment and invoices. Dynamic pricing and the end of the cap are explained on the fares page.

Electronic payments only, and always through the platform

Article 15(7) is categorical: "payment for the service is processed and recorded through the electronic platform, and only payment by electronic means is permitted". There are two rules here. The first is the means: card, digital wallet or other electronic means, never notes and coins. The second is the channel: payment goes through the platform and is recorded there. A direct bank transfer to the driver, even though electronic, does not meet the second.

The rule protects both sides. The passenger has proof of what they paid and access to the invoice and the complaint mechanisms. The driver does not carry cash in the car. The law does not regulate tips.

What the app must show before and during the trip

Article 15(4)(a) requires the platform to provide the user, "in a clear, understandable and objective way, before the start of each trip and during it", the price calculation formula, itemising:

the total price;
the intermediation fee applied;
the applicable rates, namely per distance, per time and the dynamic pricing factor.

Article 19(1)(b) repeats the idea from the side of the platform’s services: the trip price, the elements of the formula and their weighting factor must be available before and during each trip. Item (g) of the same paragraph adds that the app must state the terms on which it issues the electronic invoice.

The fixed price: an alternative the platform must offer

Article 15(6) requires the platform to provide, "for any route, as an alternative, a predetermined fixed price offer". If the passenger accepts it, that amount "is the price to be charged at the end of the service regardless of the distance travelled or the time taken". A traffic jam or a detour for roadworks do not change the accepted price. It is the most predictable option for anyone who wants to know in advance how much they will pay.

The electronic invoice and its mandatory elements

Article 15(8) says that, "within a reasonable period after the service is completed", the platform sends the user an electronic invoice stating, among other things:

mandatory element	article 15(8)
unique trip reference code	item (a)
origin and destination of the route	item (b)
total time and distance of the route	item (c)
total amount payable, with VAT at the legal rate and other taxes or fees itemised	item (d)
breakdown of the price calculation, including the platform’s intermediation fee	item (e)

The phrase "among other things" means the list is a minimum: the invoice may contain other elements, notably those required by tax law, which the TVDE law does not list. What the TVDE law guarantees is that, looking at the invoice, you can understand where the amount came from and how much went to the platform.

The unique trip reference code, in item (a), is the most useful piece of data in a complaint: it identifies beyond doubt the trip you are complaining about. The breakdown of the calculation, in item (e), lets you check whether the price charged matches the formula shown before the trip, or the fixed price you accepted.

For drivers and operators: what the invoice reveals

Item (e) requires the intermediation fee charged by the platform operator to be shown. Article 15(3) sets the limit of that fee at 25% of the trip value excluding VAT. The words "excluding VAT" are new in 2026. With the invoice in hand, any operator or driver can check whether the commission respects the limit. See more about the commission inplatforms and operators.

Practical cases

The app’s payment failed and the driver asks to be paid in cash

not allowed

Payment can only be electronic and must be processed by the platform. A technical failure does not open an exception the law does not provide for. The way forward is to settle the payment through the app or contact the platform’s support.

I accepted a fixed price of 14 euros and we hit half an hour of traffic

you pay the fixed price

You pay the 14 euros. Article 15(6) says the accepted fixed price is the price charged at the end, regardless of distance or time. If you are charged more, that is a charge contrary to article 15, which is an administrative offence.

The invoice arrived without the breakdown of the price calculation

not allowed

The breakdown of the calculation is a mandatory element, article 15(8)(e). Missing this information is an administrative offence, under article 25(2)(u). Complain through the app’s complaints button.

The fines and who applies them

Charging prices in breach of article 15(2), (3), (5), (6) and (7), which includes non-electronic payment and not honouring the fixed price, is item (t) of article 25(2). Missing the information required by paras. 4 and 8, price formula and invoice, is item (u). The fine ranges from 250 to 4500 euros for individuals and from 5000 to 44 000 euros for companies. Both are attributed to the platform operator and handled by the IMT.

What changed in 2026

In article 15, the revision made four changes. It added "excluding VAT" to the basis of the intermediation fee, in para. 3. It repealed item (b) of para. 4, which required a price estimate. It rewrote para. 5, which no longer has the 100% cap on dynamic pricing. And it replaced "platform operator" with "platform manager" in item (e) of para. 8. Electronic payment, the alternative fixed price and the invoice elements stayed the same.

Frequently asked questions

Can I pay for a TVDE ride in cash?

No. Article 15(7) says payment for the service is processed and recorded through the electronic platform, and only electronic payment is allowed. The rule already existed in 2018 and was not changed.

The driver asked me to pay separately, outside the app. Is that legal?

No. Payment must go through the platform and be electronic. If the trip itself is arranged outside the app, there is an even more serious offence: providing TVDE services outside an electronic platform, under article 25(2)(a), attributed to the driver and the TVDE operator. Outside the app you also get no invoice, no trip record and no complaint mechanisms.

What is the fixed price and when is it worth it?

Article 15(6) requires the platform to offer, for any route and as an alternative, a predetermined fixed price. If you accept it, that is the amount charged at the end, regardless of the distance travelled or the time taken. It is worth it when there is a risk of traffic, roadworks or detours, because the risk shifts to the service provider.

When do I receive the invoice?

The law only says "within a reasonable period after the service is completed", in article 15(8). It does not set a number of hours or days. The app must state the terms on which it issues the electronic invoice, under article 19(1)(g).

Does the invoice have to show the platform’s commission?

Yes. Article 15(8)(e) requires a breakdown of the price calculation, based on the elements and weighting factor of the formula, including the intermediation fee charged by the platform operator. That fee cannot exceed 25% of the trip value excluding VAT.

Does the app have to give me a price estimate?

The obligation to give an estimate, which was in article 15(4)(b), was repealed in 2026. The obligation remains to show, before and during the trip, the calculation formula with the total price, the intermediation fee and the applicable rates, and article 19(1)(b) still requires the trip price to be stated. The fixed price offer also remains.