“I bought my taxi license and my vehicle on August 1st. I invested more than 300,000 euros. I work in Évenos, a rural town where medical transport represents 98% of my turnover. If the new pricing that the National Health Insurance Fund (CNAM) wants to impose on us is adopted, it will be death.”confides Stella, worried. Eddy, his companion, also a taxi driver but in Six-Fours, finds himself in much the same situation: “Medical transport represents 85% of my turnover. With the new prices, this would decrease by 40%. This is not feasible”.
Stella and Eddy are not the only licensed taxi drivers to fear for their future. The people of Var, particularly those who work in the Toulon area, realized this on Monday morning. At the call of their union Union des Taxis Varois (UTV83), more than two hundred drivers were on strike this Monday morning. Gathered to the east and west of Toulon from 5 a.m., they then converged on the prefectural town and blocked the underground crossing for a large part of the morning, causing quite a bit of chaos.
Half of taxis risk bankruptcy
“We would have preferred not to have to demonstrate. We don't enjoy bothering road users. But if we don't defend ourselves, half of the taxis (there are 522 in the Var, Editor’s note) will go bankrupt or find themselves ruined, their plate (license, Editor’s note) no longer worth anything”says Thibault Lafontaine, vice-president of UTV83.
Very upset against Thomas Fatome, the general director of the CNAM, whom they accuse of “want to uberize our profession”, Var taxis also warn the public against shared transport. “We already do shared transportation. But with the new system that the CNAM wants to impose on us, some customers could spend up to 7 or 8 hours in a taxi for a medical appointment that only lasts 20 minutes. C 'is inhumane!'denounces Thibault Lafontaine.
The director general of the CNAM in the hot seat
And it is not the intervention of the said Thomas Fatome, Monday at 11 a.m. on the radio waves of France Info, which will have convinced them. “He's a politician! He's the one who broke off the negotiations (…) He tells us that the waiting time will not be paid and says the opposite on the radio. We don't know if we can believe it”says Thierry, perplexed.
Received early in the afternoon by Jean-François Civet, director of CPAM du Var, Laurence Levallois, president of UTV83, was more optimistic: “We had very good contact, very good listening. Mr. Civet assured us that he would raise our concerns”. While waiting to decide what follow-up they will give to their movement, Var taxis blocked the Bandol toll Monday afternoon.
