Promising to fight for their rights, the National Association of Movimento TVDE (ANM-TVDE), has criticized the legislative proposals debated in parliament in what it considers a direct attack on micro and small companies in the passenger transport sector through digital platforms.
In a statement, ANM-TVDE said that the revision of Law 45/2018, called the ‘Uber law,’ promoted by some political parties, such as the PSD and the Liberal Initiative, is seen by ANM-TVDE as a real blow to the balance of the market, favouring specific sectors and large multinationals to the detriment of thousands of independent operators.
According to the association, among the most controversial proposals is the integration of taxis into digital platforms, promoted by the national PSD at the request of the Regional Government of Madeira.
For ANM-TVDE, “this is favouring the taxi sector, especially in the Autonomous Region of Madeira, where the TVDE model has been unable to complete fairly.
“It is unacceptable to try to solve the inefficiency of the taxi sector at the expense of a system that works, harming thousands of micro-enterprises that have invested time, effort, and capital to operate within the law,” said the association’s President, Victor Soares.
According to the association, the Liberal Initiative’s proposal to allow platforms such as Uber and Bolt to operate with their own fleets poses an even greater threat: “If this measure is approved, we will see the collapse of thousands of companies, which will be crushed by the monopoly of digital platforms. We are talking about a scenario where multinationals will control not only the trips but also the drivers, eliminating any chance of fair competition within the sector.”
“These measures not only destroy micro-enterprises, but also the livelihood of thousands of families who depend on this activity to survive,” reiterated the President of ANM-TVDE.
In December, ANM-TVDE filed a lawsuit in Madeira against the integration of taxis into digital platforms, arguing that such a practice violates the legislation in force and completely distorts the market and launched a public petition, which already has more than 700 signatures, to stop these harmful legislative changes.
“If we allow these platforms to operate with their own fleets, we will be opening the door to an absolute monopoly, where multinationals will decide who works, how they work, and how much they earn, completely destroying the business model of small companies,” warned the association leader.
The association also recalled that Antral, representative of the taxi sector, “also spoke out against these proposals, issuing an official statement on the 22nd of January 2025, criticising the favouring of monopolies and the lack of balance in the proposed changes.”
Antral announced that it regretted not having been consulted and warned of the serious damage that the proposals would bring to the sector, such as the possibility of vehicles licensed as taxis to operate simultaneously under the TVDE regime.”
The ANM-TVDE promises to intensify the fight to prevent the approval of the measures and called on all political decision-makers to reconsider these proposals.
Samantha Gannon
info at madeira-weekly.com
