“In rural areas, medical transport is 99% of what we do, that’s all we have”says Nathalie Barbaud, worried about the reform of taxi conventions wanted by the National Health Insurance Fund (Cnam). Established for seven years in Mers-sur-Indre, Nathalie employs six people. “But we don’t know if we’ll be able to continueshe regrets. We see the future as very dark. »
Taxi drivers denounce a reform of the agreement which binds them to the Cnam, and which “directly threatens the survival of thousands of taxi companies and the employment of tens of thousands of drivers in France”explains the Federation of Independent Taxis of Indre. Its president, Eric Bourscheidt, speaks of a desire “to uberize” the profession, while reducing prices.
“It’s one more profession that is dying”
At the end of January 2024, they were already protesting against this policy which aims to force patients who need medical transportation to use an application to book a shared journey. “They want us to consolidate trips, to take up to eight or nine people at the same time”explains Eric Bourscheidt. “It’s cattle transport”castigates anyone who is worried about seeing their profession disappear.
“We try as much as possible to group people together when possible, but in the countryside, it’s already difficult to bring two people at a timeindicates Nathalie Barbaud. We can't take sick people several hours in advance, it's tiring for the patients. »
The two professionals readily acknowledge that certain savings can be made. “When I take the same person to the hospital three times a week for check-ups, I tell myself that we could groupand therefore save on the number of trips, analyzes Nathalie Barbaud. But this is not possible. »
A loss of 40% in turnover
The other black point of this new agreement is the reduction in prices desired by the Cnam. “Per kilometer, they want to reduce the price (which is €1.25 today), at 1 €, or even lessexplains Eric Bourscheidt. At that price it's not even worth it, it's not profitable. » The federation of independent taxis estimates that this downward adjustment would result in a loss of 25 to 40% of companies' turnover.
“It’s one more profession that is dying,” deplores Nathalie Barbaud. If most of the time she takes patients to Limoges or Tours, she sometimes crosses France, to Montpellier or Toulouse, depending on the pathologies. “Already we have a lot of work, and we can barely do everything, it is the patients who will be left behind. » In Indre, of the 270 taxi companies, “there will be perhaps 200 unemployedwith a guard Eric Bourscheidt. But who will take care of taking people to the hospital? »
Calling on the public authorities to reverse this decision, the union also asks “the support of all citizens and elected officials to defend our jobs and those of our families, but also to preserve the service provided to patients”. The criticized convention is still in negotiations with the unions, and the Indrian federation is not, for the moment, planning any demonstrations.
