JeanneB

<i>I will be there in January, so after bearing the cold all day, a taxi in the evening is a nice treat.</i>

We were there in late Jan/early Feb this year. It was extremely cold at night so there was no inclination to stick with our metro/bus routine. We took cabs anytime we were going more than a few blocks. When settling your bill just ask the restaurant to call a cab for you.

djkbooks

Many taxi drivers in Paris have mentioned to me that there ARE laws regarding pickups and dropoffs. One had gotten ticketed and fined recently and insisted on dropping us at a taxi stand rather than the door of our destination (about half a block away). He told me there are laws so taxis do not further impede traffic.

If you ask the restaurant to phone for a taxi, the driver can legally start the meter from wherever he is when he receives the call.

There seems to be an exception if you pre-arrange a taxi to the airport. We have never seen more than the base fare.

&lt;&lt;Sometimes I wish I weren't so cheap.&gt;&gt;

I'm sure you will agree, Patrick, that our spending habits change dramatically with age and experience.

Kate_W

Contradicting myself (just a little, though), I acknowledge that it is worth taking a taxi or two just for the view that you get of the city (especially if you are lucky enough to take your trip when the Eiffel Tower is lit up).

SeaUrchin

I don't see the need to apologize for wanting to take a taxi anywhere in the world. I factor in cab rides when I am planning the budget for a trip. When I want a ride in a car I take one.

I hailed cabs all over Paris in September, I had no idea it was against the law, they all stopped when I waved. Who knew.

kerouac

You can hail taxis in Paris if you are more than 50 meters from a taxi stand.

It is also interesting to know that you can choose any taxi you want at a taxi stand -- you are not at all obliged to take the first taxi in the line.

Taxis do not have the right to refuse any destination in their geographical zone, and they do not have the legal right to refuse 4 passengers, although most of them do -- if this happens to you, write down the number of the taxi and report it.

Unfortunately, the city of Paris has only 6 taxi fraud inspectors working incognito -- usually at the train stations and places like the Champs Elys&eacute;es. The DGCCRF (Direction G&eacute;n&eacute;rale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la R&eacute;pression des Fraudes) is obliged to rely on the general public for most reports. However, they really react quickly and will write back to you with a full report.

NeoPatrick

&lt;&lt;Sometimes I wish I weren't so cheap.&gt;&gt;

I'm sure you will agree, Patrick, that our spending habits change dramatically with age and experience.
&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&g t;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt; &gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;&gt;

Yes, indeed. There were days I wouldn't have thought twice about taking a taxi. That was before I retired and had no real income.

mikedparen

I've lived in Paris twice in my life, in the 80's and the mid-90's and consider myself very comfortable with the city. On a recent visit, I was caught offguard by the minimum 5.50 Euro taxi fare. I didn't have a problem with it, but being a New Yorker I just assumed the fare on the meter was the final fare for my somewhat short taxi ride on a rainy evening. It was an awkward situation when I questioned the driver about the minimum being almost two euros more than the fare on the meter. And the regulation he showed me was in very small print at the bottom of a card.

Again, I have no problem with such a minimum, and New York City has all sorts of minimums for fares at different hours and destinations. But those fares are clearly shown, either on the meter or on a sticker facing the passenger (airports for example). I cannot imagine why this minimum fare is not reflected much more prominently in Paris taxis. It really should be displayed by the meter at the end of the ride. I am sure Parisian taxi meter technology can accomodate such accuracy. Just my opinion.

Art_Vandelay

&quot;Well, we tried hailing a taxi on the street, and no one would stop&quot;. Maybe it's because, like 90 % of non-Parisians, you don't pay attention to whether the &quot;TAXI&quot; sign on the roof is lit or off. When it's off, it either means that there is a passenger inside already, or that the cab has been called and is on its way to pick up a customer (in this case, it's empty, but it's normal). The other night, there was a group of Dutch youngsters jumping up and down in the middle of the rue du 4 septembre, yelling at every cab that was already taken. But they were too drunk to grasp the on/off concept I tried to explain them.

RonZ

Very important point that when you call for a cab, the driver starts the meter when he or she heads in your direction.

blh

Do you tip a cab driver in Paris or just round up? I know I have read this discussion before - but now I'm not sure what I read!

annhig

I have come to the conclusion that it is a point of honour for most taxi drivers not to understand where foreigners want to go - so the tip to write down the name and address of the hotel is a good one, IMO.

Margaretlb

There is always a taxi rank near a metro stop. You can hail a cab just as in NYC. You should tip 10%. I've never been ripped off by a Paris cabby yet and I routinely use them in Paris.

amandab

Our taxi driver at Orly certainly spoke English. We gave him the print out of our hotel with street address and he found it no problem. It was cheap too considering the distance, 30 euro late on a Friday night to get to the Republic area.

Dave_in_Paris

Hi Underhill,

I do read from time to time that Paris cab drivers don't pick up fares in the street. And then I stand streetside and hail a cab, and it stops and picks me up! God knows what the law is, but remember this is France: Laws that aren't &quot;reasonable&quot; are likely to be ignored. If a cab stand is in sight, by all means go to the cab stand. It may even be quicker to seek out a cab stand that isn't in sight. But it's not de rigeur.











i do read occasionally that Paris taxi drivers

missmissy

Usually just a friendly &quot;bonjour&quot; followed by the name of the location or handing them an address works great. Have smaller bills on you. Once we had a taxi driver who seemed to communicate perfectly with us, then pretended to not understand that he owed us change. UGH Never made that mistake again. One nasty taxi driver didn't ruin our good time, though.

Robespierre

I think there's a difference between trying to &quot;discourage people from taking taxis&quot; and offering alternatives of which the poster may be unaware.

Sometimes taxis work for me, and sometimes the RER is better (when speed is important, for example). I just like to let people know that they don't <u>have</u> to shell out $60 for a $10 trip - in case they care.

sunnyeve17

Definitely not an issue. Most of them speak at least broken English. Just be respectful and friendly... and they should treat you the same way.