The Colmar station, its extraordinary excitement, its uninterrupted flow of tourists and its private drivers who share a Christmas cake whose shares have diminished since November. “Just today ( editor’s note, Thursday, December 12), I counted 17 or 18 vehicle plates from other departments. I estimate that there are between 40 and 50 Uber and Bolt drivers at the moment in Colmar,” assesses this driver from the Colmar area who has been active for three years.
By crossing them, or even observing their comings and goings, particularly in front of the Bristol, rue Turenne or rue des Têtes, the professionals of the Colmar square take a very dim view of the surge of an alternative offer, responding moreover to an equally unusual request.
Because these drivers “from elsewhere”, these mercenaries of private transport seizing the opportunity of tourist overpopulation in a given place at a given time, would not all be in the regulatory nails. In any case, this is the opinion of all the local drivers interviewed.
A mandatory sticker
For some, they would lack the official sticker, the VTC identity card; for others, they would conveniently occupy parking spaces reserved for taxis in their absence or go to meet potential customers on the station square, handing out their business cards.
Apart from vehicles bearing the Bolt logo, an Estonian multinational founded in 2013, which display the color, Uber, a North American multinational, “are not identifiable” as such. These are ordinary vehicles that don’t have much to distinguish them, apart from the brick-colored sticker stuck to the front and, in principle, to the rear, which is obligatory. So, in the ticklish world of taxis, rumors spread like the smell of mulled wine in the aisles of Christmas markets.
“Some exchange their professional cards but it is difficult to verify. That’s what they say,” reports a taxi driver. On the other hand, he claims to have seen some people being guilty of “solicitation”.
“Electronic marauding” is also roundly denounced
“Electronic marauding” is also roundly denounced: the Bolt (1.9 billion turnover in 2023) and other Uber (35 billion euros in turnover in 2023) whose commercial success is based on the flexibility of their application digital, would sneakily chase the barge through the streets of the Bartholdi city. “Soliciting and raiding are repressed by law,” insists a driver who points out the regulatory obligation for VTCs to charge the customer “on reservation” and not otherwise, while taxis “are waiting” in places identified that the municipality invoices them monthly. Competition would be all the more “unfair” as local drivers are subject to strict and… costly national regulations.
“Checking the taximeter costs 80 euros, the change in pricing, 50 euros, not to mention the technical inspection of the vehicle and the charges linked to parking,” lists Cédric Reininger for his part.
No later than Thursday, December 12, agents from the Dreal (Regional Directorate, Environment, Planning and Housing) set their sights on a few taxi drivers, i.e. “30 minutes of control”, adding grist to the mill of those who denounce the supposed freedom of these competitors.
False, reacts in substance Eric Straumann, who seeks as proof two reports drawn up “in two days” by his municipal police, which would be rather reactive, according to taxi drivers.
“There are not enough taxis at the moment”
Defender of “freedom to trade”, the mayor of Colmar recalls that VTCs must comply with the law, which notably requires being able to present proof of a prior reservation. He puts the idea of unfair competition into perspective: “It’s a complementary offer during this peak period. Hoteliers say it: there are not enough taxis at the moment.”
And the mayor praises the effectiveness of digital applications popular with foreign customers, while Colmar taxi drivers do not have them.
“It’s getting complicated for us”
Of the 350 taxi licenses circulating in Haut-Rhin, 26 licenses concern the sector of the Colmar region alone, indicates Corinne Rossé. An offer judged “ sufficient. It’s more than enough », Judges the president of the Alsace Taxi Union.
« The regulations are not respected »
For her, as for her colleagues, “ the regulations are not respected. Most do not display the macaron (editor’s notethe mandatory signage for all active VTC drivers) at the front and rear of the vehicle. They park on public roads and as they are self-employed, they spread throughout France. They act as chauffeurs for two or three years, then they stop. For us, it gets complicated in this context where we favor international platforms. The company Uber, for example, paid 5 million euros in taxes last year ».
Added to this competition is that of the shuttles which, according to her, should have been chargeable. And even if the Thévenoud (2014) and Grandguillaume (2016) laws have improved the regulatory framework for private passenger transport, Corinne Rossé observes that her profession, whose first royal authorizations date back to the 17the century, is insufficiently listened to.
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