With conventional taxi drivers still up in arms over the new law regulating transport platforms like Uber, Taxify and Cabify, a new competitor has decided Portugal is “fertile territory to expand more original business ideas”.
Chauffeur Privé has started operating in Lisbon with 500 drivers. It means to expand to 1000 by the end of the year, says Observador, quoting its focus as “alternatives to current individual passenger services”.
Says the website, the cost of trips with Chauffeur Privé “is fixed, which means that external factors like traffic will not influence the price defined at the outside, with a base value of €2.50”.
Led in Portugal by Sérgio Pereira, the company is offering 50% discounts on all rides during its first 30 days of business.
It is also operating a loyalty programme, allowing customers to accumulate points (which translate into discounts for subsequent trips).
The business that began in Paris six years ago already has over two million clients in France.
It has been attracted here by Portugal’s new law regulating the sector, even though conventional taxi drivers are still working hard to get the law repealed.
As we wrote this text, new protests in Lisbon, Porto and even Faro were scheduled to take place tomorrow (Wednesday).
