Grabbing a cab here in the P-O is not something that we do unless we have no choice. Not only are they very expensive, particularly compared to mini cabs in Britain, but also most need reserving in advance.
For those who do use taxis here, trouble has been brewing for a while between taxi drivers and their unions and non professional ‘tourist’ taxis such as the American Uber taxis.
From Tuesday 26th Feb, taxis across France will strike – and if it’s anything like last year’s strikes, roads will be blocked and tempers lost
Along with Germany, France is one of the most regulated countries as far as taxis are concerned. The number of taxis is restricted by a licence system. Around 14,900 are issued in Paris and 44,000 in the whole country. Taxi driving is subject to the holding of a licence or « parking licence », granted by the mayor or the prefect.
If you feel that your taxi ride has been very expensive, don’t yell at the driver! He or she has no control over his or her prices.
Taxi prices are fixed by the ’Ministère de l’Economie et des Finances’ and regulated locally by the préfectures. Prices vary according to region, number of passengers, baggage, animals, or irregular items (skis, bicycles, wheelchairs, etc.).
Taxi drivers must have the prices in full view in their vehicles. The starting tariff at present is 3.83€ but this could be more depending on the above. A minimum payment of 7€ is likely to be applied if the distance is very short. An approximate price per kilometer is 1.03€!
Taxi drivers may well be blockading main road into some of the larger towns, and targeting airports in particular, so those areas will be best avoided.
