FRENCH TAXIS - WHY ARE THEY SO EXPENSIVE !
 

Why are French taxis so expensive?....why do French taxi drivers never want to go far?...why dont French Taxi drivers want to really work outside of 9am - 5pm?....Whilst I will admit that it would be hard to find a French workaholic I am always amazed at how very expensive taxis are in France and how hard it is to get one at night !

Many people would love to be able to visit Paris and cannot do so. You went to Paris and what did you come back with? A lovely report about this lovely city? No...A complaint about expensive taxis. That's what you remember about Paris.

You could have taken the bus.

You could have taken the train.

You could have walked.

Because France is a rich country and things in rich countries tend to cost more than in poor ones....?

You are so wrong on this one, Byshhe! Look at this site to compare taxi costs in other big cities. http://www.priceoftravel.com/555/wor...72-big-cities/
You will see that Paris is not really that highly priced. The site gives typical cab fares for no traffic, and high traffic density times. The price for a 3 kilometer ride in Paris is $8.71 - $14.49. For London, $11.48 - $14.75, while Zurich is $20.22 - $26.95.

I agree with adrienne, take public transport and quit your bitching.

Don't forget Vélib. ;-)

Because the driver gets paid a living wage. Because petrol and diesel are expensive. Because taxes are high. Because there are plenty of cheaper (and often faster) alternatives for those who don't mind travelling with strangers.

<i>You will see that Paris is not really that highly priced.</i>

Actually, according to that list, Paris is between 41% and 61% more expensive than average. They may not be in the stratosphere with Zurich, but they are certainly expensive.

As for why taxis are that much more expensive in Paris, it is almost certainly a combination of high gas prices/taxes, high average wages in the market, and restrictive licensing requirements that limit the number of entrants into the market.

ALl I can say is it is farther from CDG to my Apt in the 4th and the taxi fare is arouind 50 Euro. I live a whole lot closer to the Orlando Airport and my fare there is almost 90 dollars with a tip. BUt then I hardly use taxis in Paris the public transportation is so great

Taxis aren't any more expensive in Paris than most any place I take a taxi in the US, I don't know what your comparison is. For example, I would spend the same amount of money to take a taxi from IAD airport into the city (Wash DC) as in Paris, usually somewhat more. It is a little farther, I think, so that would make sense. But Paris isn't any more expensive than most places I travel.

Have you priced a Peugeot sedan lately? Someone has to pay for the car.

When I was traveling a good bit for business, it seemed to me that taxi service from the airport to the "downtown" area of any medium to large city always seemed to be pretty much the same - $30 to $40. And it cracked me up when it appeared to be fairly comparable in Europe as well!

Parisian taxis are a great value for the service provided.

You sound like a candidate for the RER/metro - only 8.70€

I was very pleased with the price of the air conditioned and metered taxis in Saigon. For anybody who makes taxi cost their priority, this might be an excellent travel destination for them.

Paris is roughly 10% dearer today than New York,according to the website Nukesafe so kindly provided.

So if Bush and Obama hadn't spent the last decade debauching the US currency, Paris taxis would be about 25% cheaper than New York. And that's before the American "we've got to double what we pay people because their employers starve them" guilt-trip tax AKA the "tip"

So why don't Americans whinge about the cost of taxis in New York?

<< So why don't Americans whinge about the cost of taxis in New York? >>

Who the heck can afford a taxi in NYC? It's the bus, train, and feet there.

Actually, the worst thing about Paris taxis is that if you call one in advance the meter starts from wherever the cabbie is coming from, not where you are.

It cost us 60E to get to CDG from the Ile St. Louis, and that's high. That's because Paris does not have what many large US cities have (evidently not Orlando or DC) - standard fares from the city (often determined by zone) to the airports. NY has this, Dallas has this, Houston has this.

As for standard fares - petrol in France is $8/gallon and stop-and-go driving means higher fuel consumption. Question answered. Take the train.

<<if you call one in advance the meter starts from wherever the cabbie is coming from, not where you are.>>

That hasn't been my experience, BR. I use Taxi Bleu, and it always costs 3E when I reserve in advance by phone, no matter where the taxi is coming from (and I'd have no idea where it was, anyway).

In fact, with Taxi Bleu, you can order a cab online for immediate pickup for absolutely free!

"So why don't Americans whinge about the cost of taxis in New York?"

What makes you think we don't? And what makes you think the original poster is American (the use of whilst suggests to me that he or she might not be)?

My experience is that when you call and order a taxi in Paris there is indeed a varying charge on the meter when the taxi arrives. Not sure whether it is Taxi Bleu I have called, but it might be.

It says quite clearly on the Taxi Bleu website that the charge is 3E.

<i>So why don't Americans whinge about the cost of taxis in New York?</i>

Because we have you to do the complaining for us!

Seriously, per nukesafe's link, both New York and Paris taxis are more expensive than average. Certainly, they are not cheap in either city. As with Paris, the reasons are: high fuel costs, restrictive licensing, and high wage rates.

I struggle to understand why people get so defensive when people point out things that are expensive. This includes taxis in Paris and New York (and Zurich and London and Copenhagen). Some cities are just expensive and anyone that claims Paris is not, frankly, needs to get out more. This isn't to say that Paris is unaffordable, or that there aren't ways to save money, but Paris is certainly an expensive city when compared to other cities worldwide.