The return from the All Saints' Day holidays promises to be eventful, this Monday, November 4, 2024, on the roads of Toulouse (Haute-Garonne). VTC drivers will mobilize and carry out a snail operation early in the morning to denounce the fares set by Uber and Bolt.
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They should gather from 6:30 a.m., this Monday, November 4, 2024, near Sesquières, north of Toulouse. VTC drivers have protested against the practices of reservation platforms. And to make themselves heard, they decided to demonstrate on the roads. Convoys driving slowly are to be expected on the ring road and near Toulouse-Blagnac airport.
“Respect our work, upgrade our prices“, this is the main demand of Toulouse VTC drivers. What they denounce are the commercial practices of reservation platforms like Uber and Bolt. Fares not paid enough, according to the drivers who are encountering financial difficulties.
An agreement provides that drivers' remuneration cannot be less than one euro per kilometer. This is the minimum guarantee of hourly income from activity. An agreement which would not be respected, according to the general secretary of the FO-INV union. “Today, we drive at a loss, at 50 cents per kilometer, to the glory of the platforms“, says Brahim Ben Ali
READ ALSO: “We only have crumbs left”: anger and mobilization of VTC drivers in Montpellier
In addition to the increase in prices, and like the drivers in Montpellier in January 2024, the demonstrators are also demanding an end to registrations in order to limit the number of VTC drivers. And fake profiles should also be eliminated.
We are flooding the market with drivers while there is extreme insecurity affecting our profession. We send people to the pipebreaker.
Brahim Ben Ali, general secretary of the FO-INV union
The drivers could well take their demands directly to the doors of the Uber and Bolt offices in Toulouse. “Platforms that decide everything“, denounces the FO-INV union, evoking a “independence of drivers muzzled“.
Several routes for this snail operation are being considered, according to our information. The drivers should first gather in Sesquières, at 6:30 a.m., before heading to Blagnac airport. Expect slowdowns on the A620 ring road towards Bordeaux. VTC drivers could then park on the various roundabouts leading to the airport.
Other possible convoys: towards the connection platforms. Disruptions are expected on the ring road, in the Saint-Martin-du-Touch sector. But also towards the city center of Toulouse.