In a statement released today, ANM-TVDE urgently called on authorities, including Social Security (SS) and the Tax Authority (AT), to conduct oversight of mobility platforms. The organization requests these bodies to demand platforms provide a report on drivers’ earnings paid to partners and to identify the drivers.
ANM-TVDE emphasizes the importance of “cross-referencing data” between platforms, the Tax Authority, and Social Security “to ensure all drivers are correctly complying with taxes and contributions.”
The statement specifies that “platforms should request proof of no debt from drivers to Social Security and the Tax Authority.”
The association highlights a significant issue where many drivers “fail to report their earnings, with some even illegally receiving social benefits.”
As a result, ANM-TVDE believes that certain companies in the sector, particularly small and medium-sized ones, are disadvantaged due to “higher costs and unfair competition from informal drivers, jeopardizing their survival.”
The association asserts that “without oversight and transparency, the TVDE sector will continue to deteriorate.”
In a Facebook post, ANM-TVDE noted that following the publication of data from IMT, the association received “numerous complaints” from its members.
Throughout 2023 and 2024, ANM-TVDE has consistently warned about “irregularities involving a significant number of Portuguese drivers who, while working as TVDE drivers, improperly receive social benefits like unemployment benefits and the social insertion income.”
This situation fosters an unbalanced and unfair system, the association argues, pointing out that many of these drivers “do not complain about the low fares because their income is secured through state support.”
“Platforms conveniently keep them active without the state having any control over the weekly income generated. Most of these drivers do not issue receipts, do not declare earnings, and operate without adhering to any rules or transparency,” the association claims.
In March, Portugal had over 37,000 TVDE drivers, predominantly male, from 98 different nationalities, according to data from the Institute for Mobility and Transport (IMT).
The data, gathered through the platform developed by IMT in collaboration with Uber and Bolt for sharing information about TVDE in Portugal, revealed that in March there were 37,495 active drivers in the country. Of these, 90.1% were men and only 9.8% were women.
The platform’s data shows considerable diversity in the drivers’ countries of origin, with a total of 98 nationalities represented: the majority were from Portugal (52.8%), followed by Brazil (20.6%) and India (10.4%).
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