In a statement sent to Lusa, the president of APTAD, Ivo Miguel Fernandes, responded to the suggestion by the Mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira, who suggested to the Government, after a meeting with the Minister of Infrastructure, Miguel Pinto Luz, in the Porto Metropolitan Area (AMP), the limitation of the number of TVDE services in cities at a given time through the platforms, in order to avoid excessive traffic.

"We contest the approach of limiting the number of TVDE vehicles through quotas. This measure will have adverse effects, such as reducing the supply of flexible and accessible transport services, which would harm users who depend on these services for their daily mobility".

The association recalls that the TVDE service, which includes services from companies such as Uber, currently has "a national scope and that the legislation does not provide for local or regional quotas".

APTAD also states that in situations of high peaks in demand, "the existence of a quota would completely compromise the response capacity".

The TVDE sector association also recalls that it already communicated, in July, to the AMP, "it’s position and the solutions it advocates for the TVDE sector in metropolitan areas".

Among these measures is the requirement that platforms "that registered TVDE vehicles maintain significant occupancy rates, that is, above 70%", a value that "would demonstrate that existing TVDE vehicles were being used efficiently", avoiding "overloading the market and traffic".

APTAD recalls that it has already reported that the utilization rate of TVDE vehicles registered on the platforms "is, in 2024, less than 50%, which unequivocally demonstrates an excess of active TVDE vehicles on the platforms".

The association also demanded "that the prices of TVDE trips increase", something "fundamental to guarantee fair remuneration for drivers and complement the effect of not competing directly with mass public transport, such as buses, trains, and the metro".

"The increase in the prices of TVDE trips would contribute to the dignity of the work of drivers, providing them with a fairer income in line with the effort and hours dedicated. In addition, it would help to balance the supply and demand for trips, allowing drivers to operate in a more sustainable and profitable way", they state.

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