“The objectives of this tool are to promote the integrity of the sector, preventing the falsification of necessary legal documents related to the activity, as well as allowing better knowledge of the dynamics of this sector by the IMT”, can be read in a joint statement sent to Lusa agency.

According to the note, “through the portal, the platforms will be able to compare the data they hold relating to driving licenses, TVDE driver certificates [individual transport of passengers in an uncharacterized vehicle], TVDE operator licenses and vehicle characteristics with the data that appear in the IMT databases”.

The new data sharing and communication tool will be available for “any other platform that may operate in Portugal”, and will verify “if drivers, operators, and vehicles are legally qualified to carry out the activity and thus guarantee compliance with all legal standards in force".

“After completion of the implementation phase, the portal for sharing and communicating data about drivers, vehicles and TVDE operators operating in Portugal should soon go into operation“, the statement also adds, without specifying a date.

Quoted in the statement, the president of IMT, João Jesus Caetano, said that the portal “is an important step for IMT to exercise real-time supervision as an alternative to static regulation, thus ensuring better monitoring and knowledge of the sector”.

The Uber and Bolt platforms say it is “absolutely crucial to ensure that the entire operation takes place within legal parameters and that the safety of all platform users, whether passengers or drivers, is always safeguarded”.

“This joint initiative between sector operators and the regulator is a sign that sector players are available and actively involved towards a collaborative and sustainable development of the industry in Portugal”, they consider.

The number of TVDE driver certificates registered in Portugal is 77,441, according to data relating to March 6, indicates the IMT.

There are also 18,910 companies that operate TVDE vehicles, according to the list available on the IMT website, with data referring to May 22.

There are 13 electronic TVDE platform operators licensed in Portugal, but only two (Bolt and Uber) are active, the remainder being Its My Ride, Vemja, Tazzi, Chofer, Klibber, Mobiz, Tarine, Ixat, Leb, Plink and Just Easy Mob!.

The review of the law that regulates TVDE, scheduled for 2022, has not yet progressed, five years after its entry into force, on November 1, 2018.