Taxi transportation patient guidelines to be revised by François Bayrou, effective starting Tuesday
New Development in Patient Transport Dispute: French Government and Taxi Drivers to Review Agreement Next week
In a press conference on Saturday evening, French Prime Minister François Bayrou announced that a review of the agreement governing patient transport by taxi will be conducted as early as Tuesday. The Prime Minister, following a meeting at the Ministry of Transport with taxi professionals, stated that they would be working to re-evaluate the decisions, measures, and orientations that need to be taken in the coming weeks.
Earlier in the day, Bayrou acknowledged the "emotion" of taxi drivers, who have been leading a protest movement for almost a week over a new agreement concerning the handling of patient transport by Health Insurance. During the meeting, Bayrou expressed his wish for all concerns to be addressed.
While the taxi federations generally seemed satisfied, some protesters appeared reserved or even frustrated, with a few protesters pledging to continue their demonstrations until a satisfactory resolution is reached. Notably, Abdel Grine of the National Federation of Independent Taxis declared, "We're staying! On Tuesday, we have an appointment, we'll go to the appointment!"
Should the planned review fail to alleviate the taxi drivers' concerns, they have threatened to carry out new blockade actions, potentially affecting Paris's airports and train stations. Emmanuelle Cordier, president of the National Federation of Taxis, said, "We demand the immediate withdrawal of this agreement and we ask to return to the negotiating table."
The underlying conflict centers around a plan to harmonize tariffs for patient transport nationwide. The taxi drivers argue that these changes will significantly reduce their income and threaten their livelihood. The current pricing scheme, set to come into effect in October, aims to discourage empty returns or excessively long waiting times by introducing a system based on a 13 euro reimbursement by Social Security and a kilometer-based rate.
Despite these protests, the government has shown no signs of reversing its course, citing the need to control healthcare transport expenses, which reached €6.74 billion in 2024, with €3.07 billion spent on licensed taxis. The ongoing conflict serves as a reminder of the tension that arises when attempting to control public health costs while balancing the interests of various stakeholders.
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In the midst of a review of the patient transport agreement scheduled for the upcoming week, the French government and taxi drivers are looking to address the concerns expressed by taxi professionals in the retail industry. The ongoing dispute, situated at the intersection of policy-and-legislation and politics, centers around plans to harmonize tariffs for patient transport, which have been met with resistance from taxi drivers due to fears of reduced income and threatened livelihoods. Such blockade actions could potentially impact Paris's airports and train stations, raising broader questions about the impact of policy decisions on various sectors of the economy, including transportation and finance.
