Taxi drivers are protesting today in Lisbon, Porto and Faro against a new law that is scheduled to come into force in November that regulates the four ride-hailing platforms in the country – Uber, Taxify, Cabify and Chaffeur Privé.

This is the fourth large demonstration against the ride-hailing platforms since 2015 and comes after parliament approved new regulations on 12 July.

Portugal’s president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, approved the regulations on 31 August and they are due to come into force on 1 November but the taxi sector has called this protest precisely to demand that it is not applied.

One of the taxi drivers’ main complaints is the ‘fact that the new platform regulation does not demand a minimum number of cars per municipality or region as is the case with taxis’.

The protest is also being held Porto and there, the city’s mayor, Rui Moreira (independent), is going to speak to local sector representatives before lunch.