Marseille, Paris, Nantes… several hundred VTC drivers demonstrate against an increase in their numerus clausus
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They are protesting in particular against the increase in the numerus clausus, making them fear heightened competition. Several hundred VTC drivers demonstrated this Monday morning in several large cities in Marseille, Nantes and Paris. In Marseille, around 200 drivers took to the streets of the city center before taking the A7 towards the airport located in Marignane, indicated Ilias Mézouar, spokesperson for the Union of Marseille VTC Drivers (UCVM).
The union deplores the arrival of some “5,000 new drivers in 2024 in the Marseille region” due to an increase in the numerus clausus. “This will not allow everyone to work,” criticized Ilias Mézouar. According to the UCVM, Marseille has 4,700 VTC drivers (some with dual jobs), including 1,800 for whom this is their main activity.
A “regionalization” of drivers?
Another demand in Marseille is the request for regionalization of drivers so that their activity is limited to a geographical area. This would avoid the influx of drivers from other regions during the tourist season to the detriment of locals.
On the side of the Uber reservation platform, however, we mention the number of 1,200, with seasonal peaks in summer (1,600 in July 2023). “The demand for trips on Uber has increased significantly and although new drivers have joined us, their number still does not allow us to carry out all the trips ordered. The market is large enough for each VTC driver to be able to carry out their activity,” defended a spokesperson for the platform.
In Paris, two processions of around a thousand drivers in total left this Monday morning from Orly and Roissy airports before converging on Place Saint-Augustin, near the Élysée, according to the INV union. In addition to limiting the numerus clausus and providing access to the Olympic routes, the strikers demanded that France support European legislation on the rights of platform workers.
The government opposed, along with other countries such as Italy and Sweden, this legislation negotiated with the European Parliamentwhich planned to reclassify as employees many people working for applications like Uber or Deliveroo, today considered self-employed.
In Nantes, between 50 and 80 VTCs have grouped together, according to David Tan, spokesperson for the VTC 44 collective and local representative of the INV union. The prefecture also mentions around sixty participants. “As with taxis, we must limit the number of VTCs so as not to harm our commercial development,” the spokesperson also underlined.
Drivers are also demanding access to limited traffic zones (ZTL), where they can currently only pick up or drop off a customer.
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