São Paulo tightens ride-hailing company rules

Regulations for ride-hailing companies such as Uber, Cabify, and 99 (recently taken over by Didi) operating in Latin America’s largest city, São Paulo, have just gotten stricter.

Starting Wednesday (Jan 10), the Brazilian metropolis will face a number of new rules for the industry.  While two weeks has been given for time to adjust, the actual enforcement and fines will start thereafter.

New Rules

First of all, cars can be no more than five years old (seven for drivers registered with an app before August, 2017), a removable identification tag will be placed on the car to identify which ride-hail company the driver works for, and the city has implemented a dress code to maintain well dressed drivers.

Moreover, while drivers with São Paulo city license plates can transport passengers to and from other cities, motorists that have non-São Paulo license plates can only bring passengers into the city of São Paulo.

Finally, drivers will need two permits to work within the city. One is a conductor permit authorized by city hall, costing 114 reais (US$35). The other, to cost 57 reais, is an annual car safety permit to be acquired through the mobile app company.

Obtaining these will require a 16-hour course to be taken by the driver, and a vehicle inspection.