The Taxi Driver and the City: (Post) pandemic Navigations of Lisbon, an Ethnography of the Night Appropriation

This article explores the socioprofessional, spatial, and economic challenges face by Lisbon's night taxi drivers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following a contextual overview of the pandemic's impact on urban mobility and the night time economies, the article presents findings from a fluctuant ethnography conducted between 2020 and 2022 in Lisbon. The discussion examines how taxi drivers adapted to the collapse of demand, restrictive policies, and increasing competition, highlighting their role as essential workers navigating precarious labor conditions and structural inequalities. The results reveal a repertoire of survival tactics that underscore their resilience, while also exposing vulnerabilities related to labor informality and economic exploitation. Furthermore, it illuminates the driver's critical role in nocturnal urban mobilities, positioning them as key actors within the broader ecosystem of nighttime governance. The article concludes by emphasizing the need for targeted policies to address these structural issues and calls for further research on nighttime transportation systems as integral components of urban sustainability and governance.