The Rhône prefecture called early this Tuesday, December 3, 2024 on the CRS to ” release “ traffic access blocked by taxi drivers around Lyon, the day after a first day of blockage to protest against a reduction in the price of patient transport, she announced on X.
“At the request of the prefectural authority, CRS and police personnel are deployed to free up traffic lanes”blocked by taxi drivers, writes the prefecture.
“We are much less than yesterday”
On Monday, more than 1,500 taxis in the region participated in blockades around Lyon, according to the Federation of Independent Taxis of the Rhône (FTI69). The mobilization is less this Tuesday morning, even in the opinion of taxi drivers.
“We are much less than yesterday, we cannot afford to strike for long, for some of our customers it is vital that they are transported, those who have dialysis, chemo”declares to theAFP Pascal Wilder, a taxi driver for 44 years, installed in front of the Édouard Herriot hospital in Lyon, with a few dozen fellow demonstrators. Asked about sending CRS, he believes that “given the number” drivers at blocking points, “we suspected that the (regional) prefect was not going to let this happen”believes this FTI69 activist.
500 taxis in front of the National Assembly
Around 500 taxis also demonstrated this morning, near the National Assembly in Paris, to protest against the new pricing. In order to make 300 million euros in savings on this medical transport, the Barnier government, threatened with censorship, wishes to force taxis and medical transporters to negotiate measures with Health Insurance, under penalty of imposed price reductions.
In 2023, more than 40,000 taxis were approved to transport sick people suffering from pathologies ranging from cancer to psychiatric illnesses, according to Health Insurance, or almost three quarters of taxis in France.
