The recent increase in the value of rides through apps and the constant cancellation of drivers have led passengers to return to the taxi. According to data from the Vá de Táxi app, there was a 12% increase in requests for rides between February and March. The peak of calls was registered between January and February, when the growth was 15%.
Gloria Miranda, CEO of Vá de Táxi, attributes the situation to the drop in the quality of competition, such as Uber.
"Before, the difference between the taxi and the apps was around 10% in price. Today, it's 2%," says Miranda. "The dynamic fare makes the race very expensive because it is raining all the time or [there is] traffic in São Paulo."
Luiz Carlos Capelo, President of the Autonomous Taxi Drivers Union (Sinditaxi), says that since January he has noticed an increase in passengers for his category.
Ailson Ferreira Costa, who has been a taxi driver for about five years and works at a point in Vila Leopoldina, on the west side of the capital, notes that passenger demand grew shortly before Christmas.
Despite the recent high demand, Costa says that it will only be possible to analyze whether passengers have come to stay after the taxi prices have been readjusted. "We don't know how this dynamic will look yet. We'll have a better idea next week," he says.
Sought, Uber, the main company cited by the interviewees in this report, says that, with the scenario of growing demand from users. "Customers are having to wait longer for a ride because, especially at peak times, there are times when there are more requests than there are driver partners available to serve them."
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon