PSP Lisbon Logs 214 Taxi-Speculation Detentions Through End-May — 132% Lift on the 2025 Period as CMT Certificate Seizure Arrives as Accessory Sanction

The Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP, Public Security Police) on Monday 2 June 2026 disclosed that across the first five months of 2026 it detained 214 taxi drivers in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area for the criminal offence of especulação (price speculation) — a 132% year-on-year increase over the 92 detentions logged in the equivalent January-to-May 2025 window. The figure crystallises the most concentrated enforcement push against the regulated táxi-sector in at least a decade.

The Legal Frame

The crime of especulação sits under Article 35 of Decreto-Lei 28/84 of 20 January (the regime that criminalises offences against the economy and public health). The criminal element is the deliberate alteration — with intent of lucro ilegítimo (illegitimate profit) — of prices governing a regulated service activity, charging values above the legally established tariff. The fine ranges to a maximum of 240 days of fine units with a corresponding prison ceiling of two years for repeat offenders. The Tribunal de Comarca de Lisboa Oeste has accumulated a sufficient case-law base to confirm the regime applies cleanly to the regulated táxi tariff under Portaria 277-A/2007.

The CMT Accessory Sanction

PSP confirmed it has begun applying the accessory sanction of seizure of the Certificado de Motorista de Táxi (CMT, Taxi Driver Certificate) at the point of detention. Without the CMT, the driver cannot legally operate any táxi in continental Portugal — a stronger deterrent than the criminal proceeding alone given the Portuguese táxi sector's average net-monthly take of roughly €1,300. The CMT seizure is a regulatory instrument under the Instituto da Mobilidade e dos Transportes (IMT) framework rather than a strict criminal penalty, but it lands at the same moment as the detention and functions as the operative consequence.

The Federação Read

Carlos Silva, president of the Federação Portuguesa do Táxi (FPT, Portuguese Taxi Federation), publicly endorsed the enforcement push, characterising the speculation tape as 'totalmente inaceitável' and adding that 'whoever breaks the rules must face exemplary punishment in any sector'. The federation also flagged that the regulated táxi-sector should not bear the full enforcement burden alone — Silva called on the PSP and the Autoridade da Mobilidade e dos Transportes (AMT) to extend the fiscalização perimeter to unlicensed operators and fraudulent táxis trading in high-traffic zones (Aeroporto Humberto Delgado, Santa Apolónia, Belém and the cruise terminals).

What Drove the 132% Lift

The PSP attributes the year-on-year jump to two compounding factors. First, the operational re-allocation of fiscalização teams to high-volume tourist nodes — the airport rank, the Marquês de Pombal hospitality corridor and the Cais do Sodré waterfront. Second, a heightened consumer-sensitivity to overcharging episodes, with complaints flowing directly through the Linha de Reclamação 213 421 100 and through the AMT online portal. The detention tape correlates with the IATA-flagged Aeroporto Humberto Delgado capacity stress — overcrowding inside the arrivals taxi-rank queue has historically been the single biggest driver of taxi-overcharging incidents.

What to Watch From Here

• The June detention tape. The Santo António 12 June calendar typically lifts the daily detention count by 15-20% across the festive window — a stress-test of the current operational cadence.
• The CMT-seizure judicial review. The first administrative appeal against a CMT seizure tied to a Article 35 detention is pending at the Tribunal Administrativo de Lisboa; the ruling will set the precedent for the accessory-sanction regime.
• The AMT inspection mandate. The Autoridade da Mobilidade e dos Transportes has signalled an expansion of its own fiscalização perimeter to cover the unlicensed operator slice the FPT flagged.
• The Aeroporto Humberto Delgado táxi-rank reconfiguration. ANA-Aeroportos has a pending plan to redesign the arrivals queue in advance of the World Youth Day 2026 calendar — a structural mitigation of the speculation incidence point.

The next PSP enforcement tape covering June detentions is expected in early July.