The São Paulo City Hall (SP) granted accreditation to Uber to operate passenger transport services using motorcycles in the city of São Paulo, as occurred this Friday, the 24th. However, despite this authorization, the service remains inactive and can only be launched after the company proves that it has met all requirements established by municipal legislation.
Conditions for Starting Operations
This accreditation was issued in response to a judicial determination requiring the municipal administration to formalize the company's permission within a maximum period of 48 hours. Nevertheless, the administration led by Mayor Ricardo Nunes (MDB) clarified that the platform does not yet have permission to offer motorcycle rides in the city.
According to the municipal administration, Uber must demonstrate full compliance with the norms for paid passenger transport by motorcycle. The guidelines were defined during a special meeting of the Municipal Road Use Committee (CMUV) held on the same Friday. In the minutes, the collegiate body approved the company's accreditation aiming for strict compliance with the judicial decision, but conditioned the start of operations on meeting various technical and operational demands.
The document also recorded that the accreditation was given even though Uber's tax regularity certificates had expired. Among the requirements imposed by the municipality is the need for a proof of concept, which will allow the city hall to practically verify if the application follows local rules. The company must prove that only motorcyclists and pre-registered vehicles will conduct the rides, that the platform will display the required certificates, that there will be speed limits via the application, that passengers will receive helmets and reflective vests, and that trips will be blocked in prohibited areas, such as the Minianel Viário and high-speed roads.
Additionally, the city hall may request technological integration with the platform for inspection and monitoring of the operation. The accreditation will be valid for one year from this Friday, unless there is a new judicial deliberation.
Traffic Safety Justifications
In the meeting minutes, the city hall justified these requirements by pointing to the high risks involved in paid transport by motorcycle, both for drivers and passengers. The document cited data from the Infosiga system, which indicates that 475 motorcyclists died in the capital's traffic in 2025, and another 238 deaths were registered in the first half of 2026. Furthermore, the administration mentioned information from the Lucy Montoro Network, which reveals that more than half of motorcyclists treated after accidents become paraplegic or suffer amputations.
The CMUV assessed that expanding this type of transport could overload the Unified Health System (SUS) and Social Security. The committee emphasized that Uber can only begin operating after presenting the proof of concept to the Municipal Secretariat of Urban Mobility and Transport (SMT) and confirming full compliance with municipal legislation.
Judicial Dispute Continues
The accreditation formalizes the stance communicated by the city hall hours earlier. On Friday, the administration also announced that it appealed to the São Paulo Court of Justice to try to annul the decision that mandated the accreditation, although it assured that it would comply with the judicial order. Mayor Ricardo Nunes reiterated that the accreditation does not mean immediate authorization for rides, as the company still needs to meet other requirements, such as vehicle and motorcyclist registration and proof of safety standards.
The conflict between the city hall and transport platforms has already reached the Supreme Federal Court (STF), which suspended part of the municipal rules. The previous week, the administration had denied Uber's accreditation request for the second time, alleging that the company had not presented the insurance policy because one of the documents lacked a signature. Uber appealed and succeeded in court. Judge Patrícia Persicano Pires, of the 16th Civil Public Treasury Court, ruled that the requirement had already been met and that a new denial repeated an act already considered illegal. The magistrate also referred to the decision of Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the STF, who suspended the mandatory nature of extra insurance coverages provided for in municipal regulations.
Digital platforms, represented by CNS, contested the regulation approved by the municipality in December 2025, shortly after its approval by the Municipal Chamber and sanction by Mayor Ricardo Nunes. The entity filed an ADPF with the STF, arguing that the requirements were excessively rigid and constituted a 'disguised prohibition of regulation,' since no company had managed to obtain accreditation since then.
On January 19, Minister Alexandre de Moraes, rapporteur of the case, suspended some rules by considering that the city hall had invaded the legislative competence of the Union. Among the suspended points was the rule preventing the automatic issuance of the license if accreditation requests were not analyzed within 60 days, which kept the activity indefinitely prohibited. The minister also deemed illegal the requirement for a red plate, intended for rental vehicles, as federal legislation does not impose such an obligation on private individual ride-hailing transport. Moraes stressed that this service cannot be compared to mototaxi, regulated by specific law.
Subsequently, on June 30, the minister suspended another municipal rule that forced companies to contract insurance with coverage higher than that provided for in federal legislation. The municipal decree required the Passenger Personal Accident Insurance (APP) to cover passengers, drivers, and third parties, with a minimum indemnity of R$ 100 thousand for physical and moral damages, R$ 300 thousand in cases of disability, and R$ 500 thousand in case of death. In the decision, Moraes noted that the requested amounts were much higher than those provided for similar activities. He wrote: 'It draws attention [...] to the requirement of exorbitant amounts, inconsistent with what is observed with norms applicable to similar activities, which strengthens the thesis that the municipal entity, beyond the rigor in regulating a topic of public interest, intended to make the provision of motorcycle passenger transport service unviable.'
