Baixa - Museu, 150 Mt. In the threshold of legality - "the Municipality only makes things hard for us" (o Município só nos dificulta)

I left later from work today, around 8 pm. I saw a "txopela" in a corner close to where I work. The driver was busy texting on his phone. I approached and asked if he was waiting for someone. He looked around and pointed to the other side of the road while explaining that he was with a client, but I could take a "txopela" just across from him.

-"Take one of those, you can take one of them", he said solicitous.

I crossed to where two "txopelas" were parked. One seemed empty, so I approached the one with a driver inside. As I looked inside the driver turned around and unzipped the plastic "door". The driver of the other "txopela" stepped out and I was told to get in.

I asked the price for taking me home, and explained where abouts "home" was. We exchanged a few city markers and he said he knew where to take me and confirmed the price, 150 Mt. When he started driving I commented that it was a bit late and asked him how late did he usually stay . He said that he usually stopped working at 8:30.

-"But it is practically 8:30", I said.
-"This will be my last ride, then."
-"What about your colleague?" - I wondered.
-"He will wait for a client, so he has an excuse to leave."
-"What if no client comes?"
-"He will eventually give up."

He explained that this time of the year it is difficult to have clients at night, because of the school break. When it is school time they have clients from ISCTEM and Escola Nautica. I thought it was a long way for people to come from Escola Nautica. He explained that there were no "txopelas" between where they were parked and the school, so the students would in fact walk to them.

I asked if they were a formal square, and commented that there seemed to be quite a few stops where "txopelas" would congregate, all within the same block. He confirmed that his was a square, and that they were waiting for the Municipality to demarcate the place to make it a formal square. He also agreed that there were two many "spots" for concentration. He gave me an example of a group that would stop across the street from them. The Municipality requested that they all congregate at the corner. At the same time there was a case of a square that "txopelas" requested for themselves, and the Municipality after demarcation attributed it to taxis.

Licensing is not easy, he explained. Usually companies with at least five "txopelas" take precedence. Placement in squares is also difficult because when they go to the Municipality they say that there is no place in the existing squares. So the "txopelas" take the initiative and stop where they think they will get the best business. Once there are enough of them they request the spot to become a square.

They also organise in queues like taxis. Even though it seems they are parked haphazardly, they know who has been there first. At his square, they even have a notebook where they sign the name as they arrive to avoid skirmishes when a client requests a service. Once one leaves, the others erase the name from the notebook. When he comes back he registers it again.

-"And when all leave, who holds the notebook?"
-"It stays there. There is a young man who sells King Pie. He is always there. He holds on to the notebook."