Calling an UBER or BOLT for the next week – particularly in places like Lisbon and Porto – could be surprisingly difficult: drivers are turning off their apps at peak times in protest to the sector’s lack of regulation, and their own paltry pay.
The strategy is to switch off either the UBER app – between the hours of 7am and 10am – or BOLT.
Fernando Vilhais, general coordinator of the civic movement “Somos TVDE”, explains that drivers will continue working during those hours – they will simply disconnect from one of the two platforms running TVDE in Portugal, in order to pressure both to start listening to their drivers, and responding accordingly.
The problem is that UBER and BOLT “act as if they were the employer for the entire sector”, he complains – when they are not only not, but this is “not even permitted by law”.
Platforms are guaranteed 25% of the value of trips performed, regardless of the prices being charged in the market.
TVDE operators are responsible for investing in vehicles and hiring drivers – but the platforms (in this case, UBER and BOLT) still take their ‘dues’ without operators’ investment being recognised, stresses Vilhais.
The movement – and this protest – is thus focused on “the urgency of reviewing legislation in force”. Fernando Vilhais hopes that this week of reducing platforms’ income will show UBER and BOLT “that they cannot act with impunity and impose all the rules”.
Responding to questions from Lusa, an official source at UBER has said that the company “respects the right to protest (…) All drivers who use the app are free to decide when, where and how they want to use it.” The source did not refer to the likely effects of the protest.
BOLT, too, said it respects the protest. “We maintain an open line of communication with representatives of partner fleet drivers and will work daily to ensure that everyone who uses our platform, whether fleet managers or drivers, can derive maximum benefit from it.”
But behind the scenes, drivers are reportedly ‘leaving TVDE’ because of the seasonal nature of business, and these regulatory issues. The number of foreign drivers has also taken a battering due to ‘increased difficulties’ of the necessary exams (which require renewal every five years).
According to Correio da Manhã, there are currently just under 38,600 TVDE drivers in Portugal – the majority of them being Portuguese. Brazilians account for almost 7,800 of the total figure, followed by Indians (4,325), Pakistanis (2,074) and Bangladeshis (just over 2,000). There are also a few hundred Angolan and Cape Verdean drivers – and just over 200 Italians.
Sources: LUSA/ Correio da Manhã
