Lyon, Marseille, Toulon… taxis are blocking traffic to protest against paying to transport patients

French taxis are driving together in several cities this Monday, December 2, against the proposed new Health Insurance contract that will reduce patient transport prices. So snail activity has started in Lyon, Marseille and Niort. Currently, around 1.50 euros per kilometer is paid for medical transport. With the new contract coming into effect in January 2025, the price must increase to 1 euro per kilometer. For some supports, medical transport can represent up to 90% of their business.

The movement started at 6 am in Lyon

In the Rhône, around thirty taxis were parked for 6 hours in front of the Édouard-Herriot hospital in Lyon. On the outskirts of town, around a hundred taxis from Drome and Ardèche are taking part in this snail’s pace on the A7 motorway. according to the French Bleu. In Isère, hundreds of vehicles have been blocking the Reventin-Vaugris tolls on the A7 and Saint-Quentin-Fallavier on the A43 since around 5:30 am, before going to Lyon. Their goal is to paralyze the entire city of Lyon.

According to Abdel Grine, president of the Federation of Independent Taxis of the Rhône (FTI69), two points cause the anger of taxis: prices “Very low review” and do duty “shared taxi”. “It is the service of transporting patients seated, with which all taxis have a privileged connection,” he explains. According to him, “Service will be down” if these conditions are applied, continue.

In a press release published on Saturday, November 30, the Rhône prefecture is calling on drivers “to cancel their journeys, take public transport or telework”. But, “No permanent obstruction is acceptable”it is specified.

Toulon, Marseille, Lançon-de-Provence, Thouars, Partenay won

The Lyon area is not the only one affected by the taxi protests. In Bouches-du-Rhône, the A50 is saturated between Aubagne and Marseille, towards Lyon. The 200 taxis that have been transferred are aimed at driving gradually towards the Lançon-de-Provence toll, on the A7 motorway. The same number of demonstrators gathered in Var.

Two processions left from the west and east of Toulon to reach the center of the city. In Deux-Sevres, barriers are also announced. Around fifty taxi drivers are planning to go to Thouars around 8am, to Parthenay around 8:30am and to Niort around 10:30am.

Finally, in Paris, society “Team Taxi” call to “taxi drivers gather around the National Assembly” This Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, from 8am.

Updated: at 9:56 a.m. with new restrictions in Marseille and Toulon