A family member was flying back to the UK today, and unfortunately we had the embarrassment of dropping her at Terminal 1 at Nice Airport while striking taxi drivers were lighting flares and yelling chants. Not a great parting memory of her visit to our sunny shores.
I appreciate there is disagreement amongst transport companies around competition, especially between taxis and VTCs (tourist cars with drivers), however is a very public demonstration – which looked close to erupting into violence – at one of the busiest French airports a good sign of a tourist-friendly industry?
Is there room for both taxis and private chauffeur companies to co-exist for business?
I know of tourists who have arrived at Nice Airport during taxi strikes, and if it wasn’t for a reservation with a private transfer company they would have been stranded waiting hours for transport. You would probably not be fuming if you have arrived from a flight from Paris alone. It would probably be a nightmare if you have just finished a longhaul journey with your children.
I have always found the private transfer companies I have dealt with here to be friendly, punctual and have great rates. Taxis on the other hand I find pricey (example: A 10-minute journey which I have paid 12€ or less overseas frequently costs me 20€ here), and I have friends who have been refused fares to travel short distances, with or without luggage.
I hope a satisfactory outcome for everyone is achieved by these frequent strikes. The whole industry needs an overhaul from the high licensing costs for cabbies, to airport charges, and availability of late-night taxis in tourist towns.
For train strikes, you can check the latest updates on the SNCF link below:
http://www.infolignes.com/previsions.php?futur=futur&zoneId=3
Have you been affected by train or taxi strikes?
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