Speaking to Lusa agency, the entity's vice president, Ana Rita Silva, said that there was a big drop in services, since people do not have the confidence to ride public transport.

“With data that we have, about 80 percent of the national taxi fleet had to stop. […] It means that there was an income that was withdrawn from more than 18 thousand taxi professionals. At the moment, there are hundreds of taxi drivers suspending or considering suspending the taxi license at their town hall”, she stressed.

Concerned about the lack of customers, the Portuguese Taxi Federation found it difficult to predict the return to normality in the sector.

For the leader, the lack of tourists in Portugal is also having a negative impact on the taxi sector.

“With the drop in tourism, there was a big drop in service. At this time of summer, tourism greatly influences the taxi service, there was a very big break”, she stressed.

Contacted by the Lusa agency, the president of the National Association of Public Road Transport of Goods (ATRAM), Florêncio Almeida, also spoke of great losses.

"There is no work, it has been working poorly ... For the sector there is a loss of about 70 percent at the national level", he said.

In June, the taxi representative associations asked for the creation of two lines of credit, during meetings with parties with parliamentary representation, in which they explained the “complicated and serious” situation that the sector is going through.

Speaking to Lusa, the president of the Portuguese Taxi Federation, Carlos Ramos, explained that, together with ANTRAL, the two associations met with PS, BE, Chega and PCP, who “understood that the sector needs to be supported”.

“We tried to convey to the parties the complicated and serious situation that the sector is going through and we managed to raise awareness among them. Everyone understood that the sector needs to be supported, as well as tourist entertainment,” he said at the time.

According to Carlos Ramos, the solutions presented to the deputies were the creation of two lines of credit: one with 80 percent non-repayable funds to reactivate / restart the activity and the other to support the treasury of companies with low interest rates.

"We are asking for 5,000 Euros per license, with 80 percent non-refundable and 20 percent with subsidised interest, and also a five-year credit line for subsidised interest," explained the official.