Parisian taxi union asked the French government to impose a 15-minute delay between when a customer books a minicab and its arrival, The Daily Telegraph said. The demand caused by the appearance of so-called "tourist vehicles with chauffeurs", or VTCs - the French equivalent of bookable.
The advent of smartphone applications using global positioning means cars can turn up almost at once, enraging taxi unions which accuse them of bending the rules.
Moreover, taxi drivers claim that they have to pay 240,000 euros for a new taxi licence, and have a strict area where can work, while minicab companies pay just 100 euros to work where they want and can do what they like.
Meanwhile, representatives of VTCs say this is an attempt to kill off competition. According to them, their drivers are always well-dressed; they open the door and do not blast their music, thus providing the best service which is hard to find in France.
VTCs have some obvious advantages over taxis. For example, they work on reservations and cannot be hailed in the street.
Parisian taxi unions are famous for forcing their demands down the authorities’ throat. Charles de Gaulle came to terms with them in 1958 after a two-day strike. The other president Nicolas Sarkozy capitulated in 2008 after drivers staged a three-day "operation escargot".
At the same time, taxi drivers’ actions trigger the Paris market stagnation with just 18,000 vehicles since the 1950s, while London’s taxi fleet has more than doubled.
According to the newspaper, many Parisians and guests are unhappy with the way the things are with taxis in Paris. In particular, taxi drivers often refuse to work in the rain and bad weather, and are often rude to the customers.