The head of transport company, Uber, announced today that from Wednesday July 3rd the geographical coverage of the service will be expanded across the entire Algarve region.
Uber operates a full service in Lisbon and Oporto and has been running a service in the Algarve since last summer, covering the busy tourism areas of Faro, Vilamoura and Albufeira.
Uber is expecting a 700%-800% increase in booking requests as it goes Algarve-wide from Sagres to Vila Real de Santo António.
"People are moving to all parts of the Algarve, which is why we are going to make our presence in the region more solid and more convenient," commented Rui Bento, general director of Uber in Portugal.
Users can opt for inexpensive uberX, or uberXL which supplies vehicles that take up to six passengers. As this service is aimed at tourists, a new guide is available as a app which shows beaches and sites of interest, a pilot project which later may be expanded to cover other Portuguese areas.
In 2016, more than 750,000 tourists used Uber to travel in Portugal with the app being downloaded a million times with Uber currently supplying 3,000 thousand drivers and cars.
As for the legality, the game continues with Uber continuing to operate while the government scrapes together legislation that will enable Uber to operate alongside the traditional taxi industry whose drivers are under pressure from the cheaper and more convenient upstart. The bill remains stuck in the parliamentary process despite some clarity desperately being needed.
Rui Bento says that Uber has followed the entire legislative process, commenting, "what we hope for is a modern regulatory framework that will allow us to introduce new technologies and new business models for mobility in Portugal. We hope that this approval will happen soon."
The taxi drivers association says that Uber is a transport company, just like a taxi service and therefore its drivers need a specific licence to operate. Uber says it is an electronic platform that connects drivers to customers and should not be saddled with the regulation that applies to taxi drivers.
At the height of the anti-Uber protests in 2016, taxi drivers mounted large demonstrations, some of which resulted in confrontation with Uber drivers. Uber has continued to operate despite a court stating that the company's activity is illegal. This court action was lodged by the taxi drivers against the US operating company rather than the subsidiary covering Portugal - a mystery that has yet to be explained.
As for the recent departure of Uber founder, Travis Kalanick, pushed out the door by concerned shareholders due to his bad behaviour and the poor results of some of the technology, Rui Bento tactfully commented, "We do not take the departure of Travis Kalanick lightly, but this shows how he put Uber first so that we can start a new chapter."