Wow. Hadn't expected to start such a storm but I guess people feel deeply about this issue. All that aside, I appreciate the information and my husband can rest easy knowing he doesn't have to have euros at the ready as we exit the plane.

Can't resist adding just one more piece of kindling to the blaze. Does anyone know how Danny Myer, a big name in the restaurant business in NYC has done with his new (about a year old now, I think) no tipping policy. If I get some time before leaving for our trip, I'll do a little research and come back with what I find, if someone who knows doesn't beat me to the punch.

Again, my thanks for useful and reassuring advice and info.

It depends on where they work if they can keep the tips or not. My ex-DIL could keep them at the Michelin star restaurant, and the konditorei, in her home town, but shared them at the local cafe here in town.
My son is grateful for the tips he receives from guests. They help to see him through the off season when he isn't earning.

The discussion is about France, not some other country.

Do you know specifically of a contract, or are you just guessing. If you aren´t familiar with the work rules in France in reference to requested time off - don't just speculate.

Do you actually know what the minimum wage is in France or are you again, just guessing?

While I shall agree that there is a black market for labor in France, how do you know that these drivers work under such an illegal agreement?

There is a huge difference between giving money away due to a lack of awareness and attempting to forcibly introduce your own expectations upon others.

If you just want to give money away, few people will refuse you. There are few who will admit to having too much money but over tipping is not reasonable rationale to ignore the established norms of a culture different from your own.

So here's what I surfaced on the Danny Meyer (sorry for misspelling in earlier post) no tipping policy in NYC. Upshot is that he's still at it, but some including Tom Collicchio, who followed suit have since abandoned it. I guess it's hard to break with tradition regardless of what tradition it is.

https://www.bravotv.com/the-feast/da...tipping-policy

I have no idea how Danny Myer is doing but NYC and the state of NY must love this policy. They will get just under 9% sales tax on the increased 'Service Included' menu prices to support the higher labour/service costs. If every restaurant did this a huge amount more money would be subject to sales taxes.

And obviously less uncollected income tax due to under-reporting if 100% of servers' pay flows formally through payroll.

THIS. In spades.

And here’s an extra ten for getting the plane down safely:

https://nationalpost.com/news/world/...for-gratuities

Maybe this is why it is hard to break the tipping "tradition":

https://nationalpost.com/news/the-10...ping-in-canada

Excellent article, cdnyul.

At our café in Paris, all of the tips (generally just the small extra change less than a euro) went into a tip can which was counted up and divided among all of the staff (but not the owners) once a month. This way, even the people who worked out of signt got their share of the tips.

Coming back to OP's initial question, I would tip the driver(s) if some extra service or courtesy was provided that went beyond taking you and your luggage safely from A to B.
For an appr. €100 private transfer for three people, I'd probably tip €5 or €10 altogether, not per person.
You would still not break some social norms if you did not tip, though.

In the end my husband tipped about $20 for a very long drive from Chamonix to Lyon. He couldn't help himself. Old habits die hard. Thanks for all the opinions and efforts to steer us straight.

The old joke... I bet your lawyer loves you, win or lose you still give him a tip.