Protesting taxi drivers threaten to block Paris airports

Taxi drivers are threatening major protests outside Paris’ two major airports in the coming days, as action over incoming changes to hospital transfer fees continue. 

Union leaders representing drivers made the announcement following an unsuccessful meeting with France’s Health Ministry on Tuesday (June 24) over the proposed changes. 

“The profession wants to maintain mobilisation... we really feel that we are not making any headway at all,” said head of the national taxi union Rachid Boudjema to media outlets when leaving the meeting. 

Soon after, drivers stated the main Parisian airports of Charles-de-Gaulle (Roissy) and Orly would be the next ‘targets’ for protest action. 

However, an exact date or timeframe for the action was not given. 

For his part, Health Minister Yannick Neuder told AFP that the formal proposals from the meeting would be sent by today, and unions are expected to officially respond by early next week. 

What are strikes over?

Taxi drivers have been protesting for several weeks in France against the expansion of ride-hail (VTC) apps such as Bolt and Uber, and the proposed reduction of hospital transport fees paid to drivers. 

In the case of the latter, payments to taxi drivers taking patients to hospitals could be as much as halved, with extra bonus payments cut. 

Hospital transport fees - almost exclusively paid to taxi drivers – cost billions each year, and the government sees it is a key way to cut spending, looking to save hundreds of millions of euros through the proposed changes. 

Taxi unions say these measures risk the comfort and safety of patients being transported, as well as reducing the drivers’ income, particularly in rural areas. 

How long will action last? 

Taxi unions filed strike motions earlier this month covering the period up to the end of June.

They were clear however that further action would be taken after this point if issues were not resolved by that point. 

Paris, Marseille/Aix/Toulon and Pau – the hometown of prime minister François Bayrou – have been the centres of protest action so far in France, but drivers across the country are primed to join the movement. 

This has included several smaller demonstrations, or taxis converging on a major protest point such as an airport, train station, or government building. 

Protests at airports could follow the steps of previous action, which has seen taxi drivers set up ‘checkpoints’ to ensure drivers working with apps such as Uber and Bolt are following the correct procedures. 

They may also disrupt vehicles heading to and from the airport in a ‘snail’ protest, where they drive extremely slowly along major roads to swell traffic.