LISBON, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Portuguese taxi drivers continued their protest for the fourth consecutive day on Saturday against a new law regulating app-based car hire platforms.
The protest by taxi drivers in capital Lisbon, Porto in the north and Faro in the south of the country started at 5 a.m. local time on Wednesday. The taxi drivers vow to remain where they are parked as long as it is necessary despite a hot weekend with temperatures reaching over 30 degrees Celsius in most of the country.
Around 1,500 taxis parked along bus lanes of both sides of Avenida da Liberdade in downtown Lisbon, one of the city's main arteries. The taxi drivers said they were tired but pledged that the protest will continue indefinitely.
In Faro some 270 taxis stopped at the access to the Faro airport under scorching sun with temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius. The taxi drivers tried to find shelters to protect themselves from the heat.
All the taxi drivers participating in the protest in Porto said they were willing to remain on Avenida dos Aliados, where more than 400 taxis were parked, for as long as it is considered necessary.
Taxi drivers are angry at a new law drafted to regulate taxi app firms. Popularly known as the 'Uber Law', the new legislation applies to the Taxify, Cabify and Chauffeur Prive platforms, as well as Uber.
Taxi drivers have repeatedly protested that taxi app drivers do not have to comply with industry regulations and licensing standards.
One bone of contention with the new law is the absence of quotas limiting the number of unmarked taxis in a town or region, which marked taxis are subjected to.
After several years of discussion and revisions, the new law passed through parliament on July 12, was ratified by Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa on July 31 and is due to come into effect Nov. 1. The protesters want to prevent its roll-out and force revisions.
On Friday the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) called for repeal of the law, a decision that taxi drivers consider to be on the right track while President Rebelo de Sousa is due to meet representatives from taxi sector on Monday in an effort to solve the problem.
