Noon rings on the forecourt of the Gare de Lyon in Paris.
About twenty taxi drivers appear in front of the exit of the station and put on a yellow vest on which is written "Official Taxi".
They intend to guide travelers from Lyon to prevent them from meeting "touts", these "clandestine carriers" - as they call them - who do not have permission to load passengers.
“You see what we have to do!
During that time, we do not take clients, ”sighs one of them, distributing leaflets to travelers.
With the health crisis, the number of foreign and business tourists near airports has fallen.
Some of these unauthorized carriers therefore turned to stations to find new prey.
Sometimes with prices multiplied by five or ten.
Two weeks ago, a young Montpellier resident paid 170 euros for a trip between Gare de Lyon and Gare Montparnasse.
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“And then, they will take two or three customers while we stand in line for several hours to pick one up”, further details Manu, another yellow vest.
So when the exasperation is too strong, taxis organize themselves on social networks and launch what they call “anti-solicitation operations”.
About once a week.
Like that Tuesday.
"It's not our role," Mohamed annoys.
But we are doing it to alert the public forces.
»« We will try to hold on as long as possible.
So that they are disturbed, ”adds Ferat.
A guide to making a difference
Karima, member of the CGT, megaphone in hand, searches for batteries.
Concern can be read on his face: “There are more of them than us.
It must not degenerate.
"His neighbor shows us the document they distribute to passengers at the station:" It is a guide to learn to differentiate between
real
and
fake
taxis, he explains.
We had to print it out with our own money.
"
In front of them, a little flabbergasted, the other carriers retreat, observe, gauge.
Light a cigarette for some.
Call for others.
Until a taxi pulled out a smartphone to film.
The situation is straining.
"Hey, what are you doing here?"
Stop filming!
One of them yells.
Everything is racing.
Some catch themselves by the collar.
“We're here to talk to customers, you scare them!
Karima yells.
The station security officers arrive, followed by a patrol from the Suge, the SNCF rail security service, to prevent the two camps from coming to blows.
" Look.
The touts have not moved, they are still there, ”sighs Mehdi.
Finally, we have to wait for the arrival of the police taxis - the Boers - so that those who exercise illegally scatter.
Not very far, however.
They will go and sit on a sidewalk, across the road, waiting for the storm to pass.
Then quietly, will resume their place.
“We can't do much except flagrante delicto,” sighs a member of the Boers.
"The only thing that will work is the human presence"
“Except that we can't do this kind of operation every week either.
First, because we have a job, and while we're there, we don't take clients.
And also because we are afraid of reprisals, ”explains another taxi.
He shows a scar on his shoulder.
“I had a triple humerus bill during an altercation with one of them.
"
"The only thing that will work is the human presence, that is to say security guards on each station forecourt!"
Otherwise, it won't change anything, ”insists Mohamed, weary, a little later.
“You know, with three or four trips, they can make 400 to 600 euros.
So when we prevent them from working, it inevitably annoys them, ”says yet another.
He also prefers not to give his name.
But he observed them well: “They know how to open the barriers and where to put their car while waiting for a customer.
There are also the touts, who choose the destinations and send them to the drivers, who take a commission.
It's a whole system.
"
"Insecurity and discomfort around stations"
A member of the management of the Gare de Lyon got off in turn.
“We understand that taxis organize this kind of operation.
On site, we do have an SNCF agent who guides the passengers ... But he is all alone, ”he admits.
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Officially, the SNCF adds: “We have indeed observed an increase in fake taxis, which do not meet regulatory obligations, in particular on price guarantees.
We know, for example, that they select customers based on distance.
They generate insecurity and discomfort around stations.
"
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Small works are in progress. For example, at Gare de Lyon, signs on the ground, sound announcements or even a project to bring the queue closer to the exit. "We are also working with the competent authorities to resolve the problem," it says. The Paris police headquarters, for its part, did not respond to our requests on this subject.
