The provisional measure (MP) that opens a line of credit for taxi drivers and app drivers, signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) this Tuesday (19th), also removes the mandatory theoretical course and minimum age of 21 years to provide motorcycle freight services, that is, the activity carried out by motorcycle couriers and couriers who use motorcycles as a work tool.
The requirement was set out in a 2009 federal law, sanctioned during Lula’s second term, which has now had sections revoked. Provisional measures come into effect immediately with the force of law, but must be approved within 120 days by the National Congress, otherwise they lose their validity.
Until then, legislation required motorcycle couriers to be 21 years old, have at least two years of qualification in the category and pass a specific course to carry out the activity. In practice, states were authorized to charge registration fees for Detran, which offered the so-called “red plate” to identify drivers who passed the process.
With the intensification of app deliveries on platforms such as Uber, 99 and iFood, these rules began to be enforced more heavily in some parts of the country, through traffic agents and municipal inspectors. One of the rumored cases concerns, for example, the policy of imposing fines and confiscating motorcycles adopted by Ricardo Nunes (MDB), when the mayor sought to prevent the operation of motorcycle taxis in the capital of São Paulo.
Announcement
The announcement was made during an event in São Paulo, at which Lula presented “Move Brasil”, a special vehicle financing program for taxi drivers and app drivers. The president was accompanied by former ministers Simone Tebet (PSB) and Marina Silva (Rede), pre-candidates for the Senate, and Guilherme Boulos (PSOL), minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, who discussed the relaxation of rules for motorcycle couriers.
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— No governor or Detran will be able to seize your motorcycle because of the course or red license plate, as happened here in São Paulo — said Boulos.
Conditions
Both the subsidized interest and the end of part of the requirements are part of the same provisional measure, signed by the president this Tuesday. The government intends to release R$30 billion, through the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES), from June 19th. Hiring will be done through accredited financial institutions.
The target audience can finance new vehicles of any nature, as long as they are at least flexible, for a total value of up to R$150,000, with a six-month grace period and payment in installments over 72 months. Interest rates must still be defined by the National Monetary Council (CMN), later this week, with more advantageous conditions for women expected. The president of BNDES, Aloizio Mercadante, said it should be 12.6% per year for men and 11.5% per year for women.
Installation of rest points
In other nods to liberal and self-employed professionals, Lula promised the installation of rest points for truck drivers on all Brazilian roads, in addition to proposing a check-up plan through specialists from the public health network so that “no one drives while sick”. According to Boulos, professionals from the Unified Health System (SUS) must also adopt the “work accident” classification when providing emergency care to workers.
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‘Move Brasil’ promises lower interest rates
The vehicle financing program for taxi drivers and app drivers presented by President Lula today in São Paulo promises special conditions for both categories at a time of high interest rates and growing debt among Brazilians.
Service providers on platforms such as Uber, 99 and iFood now have a line of credit at subsidized interest for the purchase or exchange of vehicles, as long as they have made at least one hundred trips within a year.
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The cutoff point, which represents more or less two races per week, is an attempt by the government to restrict the program to people who are habitual in the profession, even if they do not work every day. There is concern about avoiding registrations by drivers only interested in cheaper credit after launch.
Lower than daily installments
The PT member also stated that the conditions provided for in “Move Brasil” should represent around half the cost of vehicle rental currently paid by many workers in the transport and delivery segments. But he highlighted that the difference for the worker who will take out the loan is that the vehicle becomes “his property, which will remain with his family and can be sold when he wants to change profession”.
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Offer of vehicles on the market
In Planalto’s calculations, 60% of the market’s vehicle supply falls within the limit of up to R$150,000 for new vehicles, which allows the acquisition of more sophisticated standard cars, a prerequisite for more profitable races, including electric models.
In principle, the operation should not have express access restrictions for defaulters, but the risk must be assumed by the banking network. Banks, which will ultimately authorize financing, will be able to refuse borrowers who have a “bad name”, but in a competitive environment in which another bank may agree to do so.
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The government hopes to serve around 250,000 people with the program and, indirectly, stimulate the country’s automotive industry.
