“Tricky” drivers in the crosshairs: the battle to clean up the application service in Montevideo

By Camila Torres

Uber Cabify Trout Drivers became a recurring security problem on the streets of Montevideo. Given the growth of irregular drivers who operate in the applications, the councilors of the Departmental Board presented an urgent initiative to implement mandatory registrations and QR codes that allow immediately identifying those who provide this transportation service illegally.

Gerardo Sastre, president of the Association of Uruguayan Application Drivers (ACUA), put white on black: the phenomenon grew at the rate of lack of control. In a city where there are about 2,000 legally authorized drivers, the fact that almost a third of that number works informally is not a minor fact; It is a risk that the user assumes every time he closes the car door.

Deceitful Uber Cabify drivers: the battle for safety

The problem has a technical name and surname, but it is easily explained. Some users abuse the trust of the platforms by creating profiles with other people's data, often using taxi or remises licenses. “You connect with the license plate of a taxi, but in reality you go with another car to pick up people,” explains Rafael Seijas, one of the councilors promoting the reform.

It is the ideal scenario for chaos: a driver without a professional license, a vehicle that did not pass inspection and a platform that, at times, does not seem to be able to control who is really behind the wheel.

The Montevideo Municipality (IM) knows that the situation has reached a point of no return. Germán Benítez, director of Mobility, recognizes that the problem is “increasingly relevant.” The solution being cooked up in the Departmental Board points to a single and mandatory registry, where each person who intends to carry passengers must be noted with their name, surname and background information.

The growth of trucho Uber Cabify drivers in Montevideo

The proposal, presented by councilors Gonzalo Zuvela and Rafael Seijas - in an unusual gesture of agreement between the Frente Amplio and the National Party - does not remain just on paper. The highlight is the implementation of a QR code on each authorized vehicle.

The idea is simple: that any inspector or even the user himself can scan the sticker on the car glass and verify, in real time, if the data that appears on his cell phone screen matches the Municipality's database. If the car does not have a QR, or if the data appears “invalid” when scanned, the passenger will instantly know that they are dealing with an irregular vehicle.

“It is a demonstration that the ruling party and the opposition can work together when there is a desire,” commented Zuvela about a project that also seeks to equalize rights with traditional taxi drivers, forcing app drivers to undergo an annual vehicle inspection.

A change of culture on the trip

For Benítez, the proposal is a solid starting point, although he admits that there is still room for “some adjustments” before it is voted on in the Mobility Commission. The Municipality welcomes the idea of ​​replicating models that already work in other departments, such as Maldonado, where the QR is already part of the urban landscape.

Meanwhile, at the stops in Montevideo, the experts' recommendation remains the same: if the car that arrives is not the one marked by the application, or if the driver does not match the photo, the best decision is not to get on. Technology is there to provide security, but today, Creole liveliness seems to have gained a couple of steps over the system.