Rights and obligations of taxi drivers and customers
Does the driver have the right to refuse a journey or a passenger, and in what specific circumstances? Does the customer have the right to ask for a specific route or to smoke or take his dog? Ignorance of the rights and duties of each party - driver and customer - is often the cause of conflict. In order to calm relations, here is a summary of the rights of Parisian taxi drivers and their customers. First of all, there is a service area within which the taxi is obliged to accept the fare (assuming that no other point poses a problem). It is the Paris taxis zone. Paris taxis operate in about 120 cities in the suburb to which they are obliged to take their customers. Yet in about 40 of them they are not allowed to take clients except by call or reservation, as these cities have their own local taxis.
Airport and station transfers
Paris stations and airports receive a large number of requests for transfers, particularly in the morning. So it's best to book in advance ...
Airport transfer services
You can book your transfer at a fixed price for the various airports serving Paris: Charles de Gaulle CDG, Orly and Beauvais. Important: The airport shuttle service is not a taxi service ... More about airport shuttle
Does the taxi driver have the right to refuse to take you?
This question often comes up when a customer is refused a request by a driver. There is a legal code governing the rights of the profession. Drivers are entitled to refuse to take a passenger for the following reasons:
If the customer wishes to be driven outside the cities in the service area. Drivers can also accept, but it's up to them. Note that Paris de Gaulle CDG airport is not affected by this restriction.
If the customer is accompanied by an animal - Here again, refusal is not systematic ... but legal - However, there is a downside for guide dogs, which must be accepted.
If the customer is in a state of drunkenness or has hygiene problems.
If the driver is in the last half hour of its shift and the journey is not to their home or garage.
Other rights include
Inhibit the customer from smoking (usually signified by placard).
More unusual: The driver is entitled to refuse to follow a funeral convoy!
He can ask for a deposit for waiting passengers who get off.
Finally, he can refuse payment by cheque but this must be clearly displayed on the vehicle window.
The customer has the right to ...
Passengers and customers also have rights and prerogatives.
Choosing your route - The driver often asks this question when you set off.
The customer can ask for the taxi to stop en route to let an accompanying person off, or to let another person on, within the legal capacity of the vehicle.
Customers can choose the radio station they want to listen to... but not the volume!
And above all, they can choose their taxi from a taxi rank, and are under no obligation to take the one located at the head of the queue.
How much does a taxi cost?
You can quickly estimate the price of a journey for a given route, as taxi fares in Paris are set each year according to very precise standards. Use our simulator to find out how much your taxi will cost...
