France: striking taxi drivers protest and block roads

Taxi drivers are launching strikes and protests against government plans to liberalise the sector.

Submitted by jef costello on January 30, 2008

In Paris hundreds of taxis have occupied the place de la République to protest against the report. In Marseille taxi drivers have picketed roads going into the city, causing long tailbacks. In the small town of Dieppe 16 of the town's 17 taxis were striking. The strike is also being well-observed in Cannes and other towns and cities across France.

The Attali report has made the following recommendations:
- to give licenses for free after a waiting period of two years.
- to increase the number of licensed minicabs
- remove the restrictions on the maximum number of hours worked
- remove restrictions on the resale of licenses.

Currently the market is very restricted with barely 100 minicabs operating in Paris (compared to an estimated 50000 in London). Drivers can sell their licenses after a period of 15 years, many count on the resale value as their pension. 150 licenses are given away by the city of Paris each year, but these come with an obligation to work nights for three years.

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