Portuguese police detain three protesting taxi drivers

Three taxi drivers were detained here Monday during a protest to demand a government crackdown on ride-hailing services like Uber and Cabify.

Thousands of angry taxi drivers went on strike during the morning rush-hour, blocking traffic and causing delays.

Portuguese police said one of the taxi drivers was arrested for throwing objects at a police car. Another taxi driver was arrested for throwing a pyrotechnic agent at police officers.

The third taxi driver detained was involved in vandalizing an Uber vehicle, police said.

The slow-moving taxis kick started the protest from Lisbon's Parque das Nacoes and drove around the city, carrying signs with slogans and black flags. This is the latest protest in Europe against the app's growing presence, which taxi drivers say is unfair competition.

Florencio Almeida, from the National Association of passenger vehicles, told Xinhua from Lisbon airport that the protest had ended up there due to heavy police controls outside parliament, where they were planning to end the demonstration.

"We will stay outside the airport until someone in the government decides to negotiate with us," Almeida said, "We are calling for all illegal platforms to stop. They have been condemned by the courts, and they should not be operating."

The San-Francisco based transportation company Uber, which is the most used ride-hailing service in Europe, says its drivers operate under the law. However, taxi drivers in Portugal say they are not operating under the same rules in terms of tax, training and safety.

The Portuguese government has said that it is already working on regulating businesses like Cabify and Uber but claims that the services cannot be suspended in the meantime. Endit