Dynamic pricing is the mechanism that makes the trip price rise when demand is high and supply is scarce, as on a weekend night or a day of heavy rain. It was one of the most sensitive points of the regime, and the revision of the law tackles precisely how that price can vary.
What existed before: a cap of 100%
Until now, dynamic pricing had a legal limit. The price could not exceed the average of the previous 72 hours by more than 100%. In other words, at a moment of high demand, the value could at most double compared with the recent average. That cap acted as a brake on the most aggressive price spikes.
What changes: the legal cap disappears
The revision does away with that limit. The cap of 100% above the average of the previous 72 hours no longer exists. In practice, the price at times of strong demand no longer has a brake set by law. Prices continue to be freely agreed between the platforms and the passengers, within market logic, but without the limit that existed until now.
dynamic pricing
| topic | 2018 law | new law |
|---|---|---|
| legal cap | maximum of 100% above the average of the previous 72 hours | no legal cap set by law |
| price setting | freely agreed, within the limit | freely agreed, without that limit |
| information to the passenger | price known at the time of booking | value must be clearly disclosed before the trip |
The trade-off: knowing the price before travelling
In exchange for ending the cap, the law requires transparency. Dynamic pricing is only allowed if the weighting factors are communicated to the passenger in advance, and the platform must show, before the trip begins and during it, the calculation formula with the total price, the intermediation fee and the applicable fares itemised (article 15(4) and (5)). As an alternative, it must offer a fixed price agreed before setting off (article 15(6)). The separate obligation to present a price estimate was revoked.
Not everyone considers this trade-off sufficient. PS member of parliament Luís Moreira Testa criticised the change, stating that, these days, you get into a TVDE without knowing how much you are going to pay. The criticism points to the risk of prices rising without limit at peak times, with prior information not enough to protect the passenger from the final value.
What it means for the passenger, in practice
There are two concrete effects. The first is that, at times of very high demand, prices may rise more than they did before, because the limit that curbed them disappears. The second is that the passenger now expressly has the right to know the value before the trip begins. Informed choice replaces the legal brake: the price may be higher, but it should not be a surprise at the end.
what you can do
- set freely agreed prices, without the former dynamic pricing cap
- apply dynamic pricing at times of high demand
- as a passenger, know the trip value before accepting it
- as a passenger, refuse the trip if the price shown is not worth it
what you cannot do
- start the trip without having clearly informed the passenger of the value
- invoke a legal cap of 100% that no longer exists
In force since 1 September 2026
Law no. 59/2026 has been in force since 1 September 2026. Besides ending the dynamic pricing cap, it revoked the obligation for the platform to present a price estimate (former point b) of article 15(4)). The itemised calculation formula and the fixed-price alternative remain. Seedynamic pricing in detail.
Practical cases
On New Year's Eve, the price of a trip tripled. Is it legal?
it dependsUnder the new law the cap of 100% above the average of the previous 72 hours no longer exists, so a price well above the usual, on its own, does not breach a legal limit. What the law requires is that this value be clearly disclosed to you before the trip begins. If the price was shown to you and you accepted it, the agreement is valid.
I only understood the price at the end of the trip and I find it excessive. Can I dispute it?
it dependsThe law states that the passenger must be clearly informed of the value before the trip begins. If that did not happen, there are grounds to complain, because the right to prior information was disregarded. A lack of prior information is different from a high price that was duly shown to you and that you accepted.