Major taxi protests expected this week in France

Widespread disruption is expected across France this week as taxi and VTC (chauffeur-driven car) drivers plan coordinated protests over changes to patient transport fees and working conditions.

Major demonstrations and road blockades are expected from Tuesday June 10, peaking on Wednesday June 11 - the date of a key meeting at the Ministry of Health in Paris. 

The protest is scheduled to last until Saturday in Pau (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) - the home town of Prime Minister François Bayrou.

Taxi unions called for a “strong protest" claiming the government has failed to deliver on promises made by Mr Bayrou regarding a new pricing framework for the transport of patients to medical appointments.

The Fédération nationale du taxi (FNDT) is calling for actions to include slow-moving convoys, airport blockades and protests in front of ministries. 

VTC drivers, meanwhile, are demanding a freeze on the issuance of new licences and better minimum rates from booking platforms.

Areas affected by the taxi protests

Protests started on Monday evening as convoys left regional cities to join demonstrations in Paris. 

Paris: Outside the Ministry of the Economy in Bercy at 15:00 (June 10) and at Charles-de-Gaulle and Orly airports (June 11)

Pau: City centre demonstrations, growing numbers expected through to June 14

Marseille: Blockages at airport checkpoints; further action possible

Toulouse: Go-slow convoys

Biarritz: Road disruptions already underway in recent days

Lyon, Nice, Montpellier, Nantes, Bordeaux: local VTC gatherings from June 10

Disputed pricing model

These protests are the latest in a series of recent taxi protests in reaction to a proposed reform of the convention nationale for transporting patients, under which taxis are reimbursed by France’s public health insurance system. 

Under the proposed system - due to take effect from October 1 - drivers would receive a flat €13 per journey, plus a new per-kilometre rate.

The reform is designed to limit costs associated with waiting times and empty return journeys. 

However, taxi unions say it will reduce driver income, especially in rural or semi-rural areas, where such trips represent a major share of their work. 

In 2024, France spent some €6.7 billion on health-related transport - €3 billion of which was paid to approved taxi drivers. That figure has increased by 45% since 2019.

Unions also claim that previous government commitments to rethink the system have not been honoured. 

“The prime minister promised to rework the proposal. That promise has not been kept,” said FNDT secretary Dominique Buisson. “The government believes its reform ‘works’ and claims to have ‘saved’ the taxis. That is far from reality.”

VTC drivers

Private hire drivers working for platforms such as Uber, Bolt and Heetch are also protesting from Tuesday. 

While their complaints differ - and despite their often fraught relation with taxi unions - they are expected to participate in joint actions, particularly in major urban centres

Their main demands include a moratorium on new driver registrations, an increase in the pricing grid imposed on platforms, and government recognition of worsening working conditions.

A meeting between driver unions and booking platforms is scheduled for June 26.