Uber has not yet arrived (at least officially) in the Algarve, but that was not why taxi drivers in the region stopped joining the struggle of their counterparts in Lisbon and Porto, in contesting this transport service.
This Friday, about 100 taxis made their way between Parque das Cidades (Loulé/Faro) and the Largo da Sé, in the Algarve capital, in slow motion, to say "No to Uber" and to denounce what they consider to be an illegal activity and that is unfair competition to their business.
Basically, as Francisco Pereira, representative of the Portuguese Taxi Federation and president of the company Rotáxi explained to journalists, the Algarve taxi drivers wanted, with today's demonstration, «to show solidarity with colleagues from Lisbon and Porto, who are already directly affected» .
On the other hand, this protest can be seen as a preventive action, as there are indications that the Uber service may be available in the region this summer.
Taxi drivers claim that the entry of this service in the region would jeopardize the sustainability of Algarve companies in this sector, and ask that, at the very least, the same rules that apply to them be imposed on Uber. They are willing to negotiate the entry of this company in the rental car contingent that already exists, provided that the activity of that company is regulated.
See photos of the protest:
Photos: Hugo Rodrigues|Sul Informação
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