Overview

• Taxi drivers across France are staging widespread protests, including blockades and operations escargot, targeting cities like Paris, Pau, and Bastia, to oppose the Assurance Maladie tariff reform for medical transport.
• The reform, approved by the government on May 16, introduces a unified rate system aimed at reducing healthcare transport costs, which reached €6.74 billion in 2024, with €3.07 billion spent on conventioned taxis.
• Unions argue the changes will slash drivers' incomes by 25–30%, particularly impacting rural areas where medical transport accounts for up to 90% of revenue for some drivers, and compromise patient access to healthcare.
• Protesters are also calling for stricter regulation of VTC platforms like Uber, accusing them of unfair competition and regulatory violations that undermine the taxi industry.
• Despite government claims that the reform will benefit two-thirds of departments, taxi unions demand an interministerial meeting to freeze or withdraw the plan, with protests expected to continue throughout the week.