Paris taxi drivers left Porte Maillot early on 15 October and headed for Charles de Gaulle airport. The protest was called by the Team Taxi collective. Organisers told AFP that about 2,000 drivers could take part. That is their estimate. They said the action could continue until Saturday 17 October.
Team Taxi wants the government to curb what it calls unfair competition from VTC platforms, the chauffeur-driven private-hire cars booked through apps such as Uber and Bolt, at the Paris airports.
What they want
Walid Hanida, the collective's president, told AFP that the state is squeezing drivers on fuel and other charges, while refusing to regulate platforms he says are running free and leaving the trade in chaos. He said this is not a war between taxi drivers and VTC drivers. He blamed the platforms.
He wants white zones, in which a VTC platform could not send a driver a job, to stop cruising for passengers who have not booked. He wants stricter checks on VTC professional licences and on the signs that identify the cars. He also wants blue-vest staff back in the terminals, to point passengers towards legal taxis and to stop touts.
He told TF1 that the way drivers are given space around the terminals needs to be rebuilt. He said the crowding is causing serious congestion and a safety problem.