Two days after the end of the farmers' movement, we could fear new traffic jams on the A4 motorway, due to the gathering of angry taxis just before the Coutevroult toll in the Paris-province direction.
At 5:45 p.m., a slowdown in road traffic was observed.
According to the departmental squadron of the national gendarmerie present on the scene, around fifty taxis occupy six lanes in the middle just before the toll barrier, but five lanes remain available for vehicles.
On site, the atmosphere is rather good-natured with demonstrators throwing a few smoke bombs and a few firecrackers and listening to music.
A gendarmerie helicopter monitors the area.
At the origin of this gathering, Roxane, 30 years old, taxi driver in Seine-et-Marne for three years, followed by three departmental unions from the National Taxi Federation (FNT), the National Federation of Taxi Artisans ( FNAT) and the Federation of Independent Taxis (FTI).
Among the reasons for the discontent, the agreement with the 2024 Primary Health Insurance Fund which concerns the level of their remuneration for the transport of patients.
They want the discounts (percentage of the cost of the trip paid to Social Security) to be capped.
No to carpooling for medical patients
Article 69 does not pass either because it would impose shared health transport (a form of carpooling) for medical patients without taking into account their pathology...
“We think about the rights of our customers, who are considered goods by the ministry.
We want to restore dignity to patients and regain our dignity in our work,” insists Roxane.
In the end, they asked for the total withdrawal of the text because it was “imposed despite the refusal of all the federations”.
Taxi drivers are also protesting against unfair competition with VTCs.
These demands have already generated demonstrations on January 12 in Paris and in the provinces, then on January 29 at the call of the federations in France and on the Paris ring road.