The new law regulating TVDE activity comes into force and now allows taxis to be registered to operate through electronic platforms, one of the changes that has generated the most contestation in the sector. The TVDE designation was also redefined, no longer meaning "individual and remunerated transport of passengers in uncharacterized vehicles from an electronic platform" but corresponding to "remunerated transport of passengers in electronically provided vehicles".
The Portuguese Association of Transporters in Uncharacterized Automobiles (APTAD), which had asked the President of the Republic to veto the law, considers that the sector remains "highly wronged" and under the dominion of platforms. APTAD also warned of a "serious and objectively verifiable error" in the new law, allegedly related to contradictory effective dates and misaligned transitional regimes.
The National Association of Road Transport in Light Automobiles (ANTRAL) and the Portuguese Taxi Federation (FPT) also announced they will ask the Constitutional Court to review the law, considering that the new regime may create "unjustified competitive advantage" and inequality between operators. The Authority for Mobility and Transport (AMT) and the Institute of Mobility and Transport (IMT) shared these reservations in Parliament, arguing that the two regimes have distinct characteristics.
Among the remaining changes are the mandatory use of non-removable identification badges on vehicles, issued by the IMT, the possibility of video recording inside vehicles with driver and passenger consent, and a minimum 50-hour initial training for future drivers, including verification of Portuguese language proficiency.
