Around 500 taxi drivers demonstrated on Tuesday morning near the National Assembly to protest against lower prices for transporting patients, an AFP journalist noted.
In order to make savings of 300 million euros on these medical transports, the Barnier government, threatened with censorship, wants to force taxis and medical transporters to negotiate measures with the Health Insurance, under penalty of imposed price reductions.
Between firecrackers and fireworks, taxis protested on the Esplanade des Invalides against this negotiation with Health Insurance and asked to be received by parliamentarians or the Ministry of Health, indicated Walid Hanida of the Team Taxi collective, at the origin of the demonstration.
Several hundred taxis had already taken part in blockades or slowdowns in the Lyon metropolitan area and in Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur on Monday.
In 2023, more than 40,000 taxis were approved to transport sick people suffering from pathologies ranging from cancer to psychiatric illnesses, according to Health Insurance, or almost three quarters of taxis in France.
In rural areas, these medical transports represent the bulk of their income, described several taxi drivers who demonstrated in Paris.
Benoit, a 48-year-old Parisian taxi driver who did not wish to give his name, fears losing 30% to 40% of his income with the new scales.
Mickael Sommier, 52, came from Orleans (Loiret) on Tuesday morning and fears that these packages and the use of platforms will transform taxis into VTCs. "We want to keep our light," said the demonstrator.
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