the “new” private transportation economy

In recent months, the media has reported on opposition, distortion of competition, and sometimes conflicts, as well as isolated acts of violence, between taxi drivers and other players in this market, namely private hire vehicles.

However real these events and the problems they reveal may be, the real issue lies elsewhere!

One might think that, following the ban on July 3, confirmed in September by the Constitutional Council, on UBER-Pop (a private vehicle transport service operated by non-professional drivers), taxis have won, at least for a while, their battle against this rather virtual giant of the new American-style economy, and that this undoubtedly determined and deserving corporation will be able to continue operating under the rather illusory, albeit restrictive, protection of regulations that representatives of the profession have been brandishing for too long as a bulwark against any form of external threat…

IT WILL PROBABLY BE QUITE DIFFERENT!

The future holds other surprises for our corporation and probably its share of disappointments if we do not find within our profession itself, and in the internal functioning of our companies, answers to the differentiated needs and changing expectations of our customers, who are above all consumers, now increasingly savvy!

The truth is this. Taxis, whether in Paris, Lyon, or Bordeaux, are not the innocent victims of this or that giant of the new internet-based economy, which operated without any real legal framework until the TAXI/VTC law of October 1, 2014, and which would have captured a more or less significant portion of a clientele that it itself considered captive, whilst it is still too often its own enemy by ignoring the reality of the world around it…

Indeed, these new players in urban mobility, namely UBER, DJUMP, and HEETCH, have burst onto the scene in recent years without any qualms or scruples in a market that taxis thought was their preserve, collectively have one merit: by disrupting and even disorganizing our profession, they have forced it to ask itself a number of questions to which a significant proportion of “our” long-standing customers are desperate for answers. FOR EXAMPLE:

• How long will it take to respond to and fulfill my specific transportation needs?
• Will I be entitled to a friendly, even attentive driver and a clean, welcoming car?
• How much will the ride cost me approximately?
• Will I be informed in advance of the available payment methods?
• What “additional” services (charged or free) can I count on: transportation for more than three people, child seats, bottles of water, phone chargers, or even a multimedia connection?
• In the event of a disagreement or disappointment regarding the price or quality of the service, who can I contact?

A number of us are already responding on a daily basis to these legitimate questions from customers/consumers, who ensure the sustainability of our businesses, particularly and paradoxically in geographical areas where we are less numerous and, strangely, less affected by these new forms of competition highlighted by current events…

May our entire profession, whether urban or rural, young or experienced, versatile or “single-market,” consider, welcome, and serve with kindness and courtesy those who today, as yesterday and tomorrow, must be at the heart of our concerns: THE CUSTOMER.