The credibility of taxi drivers is at stake!

CALL FOR MODERATION AND CONSISTENCY

“Hep taxi!” and the taxi driver slows down before coming to a halt, pulling over to the right:

• “Are you free?” asks the young woman in a Prince of Wales suit who walks up to meet the driver
• “Not really!” he replies
• “But your sign is lit up in green…”
• “Yes, but (…) you see, it’s a little more complicated than that.”
• “What do you mean?” asks the customer, curious to get an answer to her question and also to her need for transportation.
• “Without going into technical explanations that would delay you and me, I’ll just say that my regulations prevent me from picking you up ‘on the fly,’ mainly because I’m not in my authorized cruising area.”

Disappointed and surprised, but understanding, the customer asked our driver why he had stopped his taxi despite everything.

“I’m not going to leave you stranded. If you’d like to give me your destination, I’ll send a colleague who is licensed here.”

• “

No sooner said than done, and less than five minutes later, this charming businesswoman was boarding a new taxi, after thanking her first driver and rewarding him with a big smile and a friendly wave.

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This seemingly naive little “skit” illustrates with simplicity and kindness what the reality of our profession should be in serving a clientele who, although they may not always understand the codes and rules, generally appreciate dealing with true professionals, by which I mean “worthy of the name.” In most cases, it is this motivation that drives the customer’s choice of a taxi over other private passenger transport providers.

However, the respect that a significant portion of our clientele still accords us must be earned and, in return, requires consideration and respect not only from our clients, but also from other members of our profession (fellow taxi drivers) and all of our partners, whether they are clients (charterers) or institutions (government, law enforcement, etc.).

On this subject, there is a basic concept, yet one that is widely flouted, on which the foundations of our business are based: I am referring to parking permits and the geographical area in which they are intended to be used. I am referring specifically to the numerous, even exponential, abuses of the rules governing street hailing and pick-up zones by too many “cowboys” whom I would not describe as professionals, even if they officially hold that title.

Today, there are too many taxi “licenses” that are transferred or issued free of charge and are subject to a “teleportation” of their holder’s activity to tens or even hundreds of kilometers from their home zone, which has the following consequences:

• in a number of cases, betraying the trust of the mayors of the municipalities that issued the licenses with the aim of serving their constituents as a priority
• creating a shortage or even a disappearance of taxi services in the areas concerned (most often medium-sized towns or semi-rural municipalities)
• causing tensions between professionals and disrupting activity in the attractive area to which the operation is transferred. This distorts competition between local taxis and these service providers, whom I have no hesitation in describing as “parasites.”

It would be more honorable for these troublemakers, who are either ignorant of or deliberately flouting the rules that apply to them, to turn or return to the practice of private hire vehicles, which is a priori more suited to their “software,” an activity in which, if they want to make a name for themselves, they will nevertheless have to demonstrate a modicum of integrity and honesty.