In multiple European cities now I see taxis being allowed to use the bus lane (while of course regular cars are not).

What's the policy justification for this?

in Lisbon it’s only official city taxis that are allowed, uber and bolt aren’t

Which implies that it's because official city taxis pay some kind of tax, and so this is an obfuscated way of paying for priority. So... why not just add a pay-for-priority-passes feature directly, and let people with their own cars also benefit from it if they choose to pay the same tax?

Yes I think the only thing stopping from implementing that is the bureaucracy required (registry?) and extra work on the visual of the car (proof that you have it). 

I think that’s why people with their own cars can’t benefit from it on per ride basis, they’ll need something visible that they can be turned on?

Can be an optimistic model to assume everyone is using priority if they have it for the ride

Can be an easy one to explore @0xdesigner

Some apps have normal taxis in it, probably the best solution

So the fact that you’ll need to verify proof somehow - makes it too complicated already.

Bet if someone colors their car in taxi colors and use those priority lines, no one will notice lol.

Until someone verifies their plate for license. 

That’s a hard one.