If you’ve ever taken a taxi in the south of France, you know I’m not exaggerating when I say ‘expensive’. Rates really are ridiculous and taxis are often few and far between. Uber, a mobile app allowing a cheap and efficient taxi service, has successfully answered a desperate need for more affordable travel, but while it has proved very popular with users, France’s usual taxi drivers are a long way from pleased.
Just a few days ago, an as yet unnamed Uber driver was reportedly attacked outside Nice’s airport by Alain Trapani, the president of Nice’s taxi association, and one of Trapani’s colleagues as he picked up a client from the transport hub. The details of the attack are still hazy, but the victim has supposedly given an interview to AFP, saying, “I found myself surrounded by Trapani and several of his colleagues. Before I could free myself I had taken a punch to the stomach. He (Trapani) shouted at me and said if I complained he would find and kill me.”
According to the press, Trapani and his colleague were arrested at the scene and following the incident, a fellow black cab driver from the city spoke to the Nice Matin, saying, “We had already spotted the Uber driver several times this morning… When we saw him again tonight, my colleagues went to see the driver. There was a scuffle and the police jumped on my colleagues. There are Uber cars running around the airport so we are obliged to police ourselves.”
Following its introduction to Paris, Uber was launched in Nice back in 2014. The company’s current status in France is a little unclear as it was formally banned by the government at the start of the year, but has been continuing to operate while the American parent company appeals to the EU. The main concerns of French ministers have been reported as fear for the personal safety of Uber users and also the threat Uber poses to official taxi drivers.
While some people may feel uncomfortable travelling in an unmarked car, Uber operates a system that allows you to see an image of your driver, their name, and type/make of car. I usually screenshot this and send it to a friend just to be on the safe side! The app also gives you the option to give feedback each time you take a ride, allowing the customers following you to see how many stars their driver has been given.
My own experiences of Uber have been nothing but excellent: clean cars, polite and friendly drivers, no extortionate fees, and no ‘short cuts’ on the journey. For someone who once had to pay 120€ for a half an hour’s drive, paying 27-35€ (using Uber’s fare checker service) to travel the same length and route is obviously going to be appealing and, for me, it seriously throws into question the justice of a black cab fare.
Here I’ve listed some of the taxi fare guides published by the city of Nice and compared them with the prices from Uber using the fare checker (all fares have been generated from the same pick up destination and are from the official source).
Nice to airport
Official service: 30€
Uber: 12€
Nice to Monaco
Official service: 80€
Uber: 30€
Nice to Antibes
Official service: 60€
Uber: 30€
Nice to Cannes
Official service: 80€
Uber: 45€
It is worth noting that the official service’s fares are not fixed and may vary according to traffic. For example, I paid 55€ for a journey that according to the official operator should have cost 30€. Almost double. The official taxis also charge supplements for a range of different ‘extras’, such as Sundays and bank holidays (2.60€ on top), waiting (0.43€ a minute), luggage (0.78€ each), pets (1.48€), having four people in the car (1.58€), and even for bad weather (a 10% increase on the whole fare for snow or ice).
Uber was founded just over five years ago as a niche service in San Francisco. Now operating in over 200 cities in 54 countries worldwide, Uber has revolutionised taxi-taking around the world ‘by seamlessly connecting riders to drivers’ via a mobile application (free to download by clicking here).
