Government to intensify oversight of ride-hailing services; discussion on patient transport scheduled for June 11th
French Government Vows Tougher Enforcement Against VTCs to Combat Illegal Practices
The French government announced on Tuesday, May 27, its intentions to bolster regulation and enforcement against Vehicules de Tourisme avec Chauffeur (VTCs) following a series of meetings with taxi representatives. The meetings, which have been ongoing for over a week, were designed to address concerns about unfair competition and fraudulent activities by VTCs.
Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot, speaking to Agence France-Presse after the first meeting, which involved representatives from the ministries of Economy, Labor, Interior, and Transport, said, "We will remind everyone of the rules and enforce them strongly." The upcoming measures aim to curb practices such as illegal roaming around train stations and airports and "touting."
To achieve this, the government plans to extend more dissuasive on-the-spot fines nationwide within the next three months and carry out targeted controls during operations starting this week. These initiatives are meant to prevent VTCs from encroaching on traditional taxi territories.
Rachid Boudjema, president of the National Union of Taxi Drivers, commended the transport minister for his commitment to distinguish between taxi and VTC activities, a matter that has been contentious for over a decade. "We have strong commitments from the transport minister," Boudjema stated, "particularly on the most blocking points."
The government also concerns itself with the reform of remuneration for transporting the sick, with a new pricing system scheduled for implementation on October 1. The new system aims to discourage empty trips and excessive waiting times. The meeting between taxi federations, government members, and the health ministry resulted in a promise for a series of technical meetings and department-level meetings before a new meeting on June 11.
In response to the taxi unions' protests, which have disrupted traffic in Paris and other cities for over eight days, the prime minister, François Bayrou, reiterated that the reform would indeed take effect at the beginning of October. The government also intends to work on a "minimum booking duration" for VTCs, clarify the definition of the public road, and possibly establish an authorization system to regulate VTC platforms. This authorization would be revoked in cases of frequent regulatory violations by drivers.
Both VTC representatives and platforms are summoned for meetings on June 2 and 3, respectively. The government aims to address the issue of holding companies, which facilitate the circumvention of social and fiscal obligations, and review the access route by equivalence, which allows drivers with one year of experience in passenger transport to become VTC drivers.
While the specific details of the regulations remain unclear, the government's focus lies in ensuring fair competition and combating fraud, primarily by addressing illegal roaming and touting. The measures are designed to provide a level playing field for all transport services and combat illicit activities within the industry.
Sources:1. Le Monde, "Meetings between taxi representatives and the government: VTCs will be subject to tighter regulations"2. Le Monde, "Taxi strike: actions in two Parisian train stations, the government says it will not 'back down' on the contested reform"3. Le Monde, "Taxi drivers on strike in Paris fear their economic model will collapse"
- The French government aims to extend its enforcement actions against VTCs, focusing on unlawful transportation practices such as roaming around train stations and airports, and "touting," to ensure fair competition within the transportation industry.
- In addition to combating fraudulent activities in the VTC sector, the government also plans to reform the remuneration for transporting the sick, implement a minimum booking duration for VTCs, clarify the definition of public roads, and possibly establish an authorization system to regulate VTC platforms, with penalties for frequent regulatory violations by drivers.
