São Paulo toughens rules for Uber drivers

As of this week, Uber drivers operating in the Brazilian city of São Paulo will have to comply with a series of new requirements to continue working.

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The new rules issued by the Mayor's Office include a requirement for drivers to do a 16-hour online course with similar content to that required from taxi drivers, as well as official registration and other demands such as dress code and identification on cars.

To help enforce the rules, the administration of São Paulo will have nearly 100 staff spread around the city to perform random checks.

Conversely, São Paulo Mayor João Doria has often talked about his "smart city vision". "We aim to make São Paulo a global capital, not a province - and that includes making it a digital city," Doria said at a financial services technology event last year.

The debate around a single set of regulations for mobility apps is still ongoing in Brazil. Meanwhile, individual cities where the apps operate are enforcing their own rules,