In a statement, the PSP Lisbon Metropolitan Command (COMETLIS) highlighted that this phenomenon, which exists throughout all European airports, consists of enticing potential customers for transport at lower prices, by suspects who claim to be professionals who are legally qualified to carry out transport, within the TVDE platform or the taxi service, although in reality they are not duly accredited for this purpose.

As part of the fight against this illegal activity, last week 2,808 euros were seized for unauthorised commercial activity from a 41-year-old man when he was picking up passengers at Humberto Delgado Airport.

The police indicated that during the first four months of this year alone, more than 400 of these infractions were recorded at Lisbon Airport.

“With regard to administrative offenses, in 2023, at Humberto Delgado Airport alone, almost a thousand infractions for which fines amount to one million euros were reported and forwarded to the competent authority,” he added.

The PSP also stated that, in addition to administrative offenses, within the scope of these operations it has also detected criminal phenomena associated with this activity, which led to arrests and/or the constitution of defendants and the seizure of “several vehicles and large amounts of money”.

“In some situations, at the destination, [passengers] are confronted with values completely different from those agreed, being victims of fraud or extortion, practices that constitute a crime”, highlighted the police.

The PSP also highlighted that taxis are taken at Humberto Delgado Airport exclusively at the arrivals plaza and TVDEs are taken at the parking lot and always via a platform (in both cases, never at the airport).