by FFE EU News Staff

A taxi strike is expected to hit France’s roads on Monday as cabs continue to show their disappointment over unfair competition with private cars offering taxi services or VTC (véhicule de tourisme avec chauffeur).

VTCs were introduced in 2009 as a way to fill in the scarcity of taxis in Paris. Unlike regular taxis, VTCs need to be hired in advance, at least 24 hours before the journey, and passengers have to wait 15 minutes before the car arrives. As of 2013, there are 1,813 registered VTCs, a number that is expected to grow in the coming years.

Aside from stiff competition, taxi drivers are made to pay €200,000 for their licenses while VTCs only pay €100, fueling a bitter dispute between the two groups. To show their disappointment, taxi drivers and unions will hold a strike on Monday.

Organisers have called for a taxi caravan that will start near Paris’ Charles de Gaulle/Roisy and Orly airports and will stop in the seventh arrondisement at Place Auban. Airport travellers and motorists are advised to take alternate public transport and routes if possible to avoid inconvenience.