Transport. Faced with taxi discontent, the government announces it is studying their proposals.

Saving money without upsetting taxi drivers: the government proposed on Wednesday to study, with representatives of the profession, new calculations for the conditions of remuneration for patient transport. Following a meeting with taxi organizations, which have been mobilized for several weeks , Health Minister Yannick Neuder assured that it was necessary to "continue to work together to find solutions that are in the national interest."

He postponed a new meeting in 15 days. By then, the National Health Insurance Fund (CNAM) will have to evaluate the proposals made by taxis. "The minister understood that the system proposed by the CNAM services was absolutely not viable for taxi companies," Rachid Boudjema, president of the National Taxi Union, stressed after the meeting. This includes taking into account "slow driving" in the event of traffic jams, and returning to the meter (and not the flat rate) for most journeys.

"The big step forward is that these proposals will be costed and assessed to see if they fit within budgetary targets," said Bilal Bouammar of the Federation of Independent Taxis after the meeting. "We're more in the process of negotiating than imposing measures, as has been the case for a year and a half (with the CNAM)."

"We work much better when the ministers are present than when we are at working meetings (with the CNAM) without them," stressed Emmanuelle Cordier, president of the National Taxi Federation (FNDT), who has been calling for direct dialogue with the ministers for weeks. However, taxi drivers are ready to remobilize in the event of further disappointment, as they are "caught in the middle," stressed Rachid Boudjema.

After a week and a half hiatus, taxi drivers stepped up their efforts Wednesday morning with a protest outside the Ministry of the Economy. Amid a barrage of firecrackers, several hundred taxis from across France blocked an avenue in front of Bercy, in southeastern Paris.

Several hundred taxis also slowed traffic on the A10 and A13 motorways around the capital, according to police. Taxi drivers are angry about the new health insurance agreement governing patient taxi transport, which is due to come into effect on October 1. The new system is expected to be based on a €13 social security contribution, followed by a per-kilometer charge. But taxi drivers fear, for example, that waiting times while patients are undergoing hospital consultations will no longer be paid.

Some taxi drivers sometimes rely two-thirds of their revenue on transporting patients to hospitals or medical appointments, particularly in rural areas or small towns. The French health insurance system aims to save money by developing platforms that centralize requests, streamline taxi routes, enable shared transportation, and avoid empty returns or long waiting times for vehicles.

Between 2019 and 2024, spending on medical transport exploded to reach €6.74 billion annually, including €3.07 billion for licensed taxis, a 45% increase. "We'll see each other again in two weeks in this configuration with scenarios and other pricing hypotheses," the Health Minister said. Prime Minister François Bayrou had assured in late May that the reform would indeed be implemented in early October and would even generate "more savings than expected" thanks to the consultation.

During the second half of May, the profession had already blocked train stations and airports and occupied certain roads in several French cities, notably on Boulevard Raspail in Paris, a stone's throw from the government district. Aside from their grievances against the agreement with the French health insurance system, taxis also attacked VTC drivers, accusing them of unfair competition and of practising "marauding"—driving around empty-handed in search of customers—which is prohibited.

The government has stated that it will step up enforcement to crack down on fraudsters. This swiftness angered the VTC drivers, who were also interviewed on June 3 at the Ministry of Transport. They, too, called for a week of mobilization starting Tuesday.