Taxi in France
Taxis in France are difficult to distinguish from ordinary cars. The cars do not have a special color: yellow or black, but they have a white plastic box on the roof. If the box shines brightly from the inside, it means that this taxi is free and ready to receive passengers. As elsewhere, taxis in France can be stopped by raising your hand. The taxi will not stop only if there is a parking lot within 50 meters. Then the taxi will reach the parking lot and take passengers there..
Features of the French taxi
No more than three people can sit in one car. If you have children under the age of 10 with you, then two children are counted as one adult. In France, taxi passengers do not sit next to the driver. Everyone should fit in the back. It's safer for passengers. It is for this reason that very often in a taxi in France you can see a dog in the front seat..
Taxis are always paid by the counter. Payment is made at the following rates:
- You will need to pay about 2 euros to get in a taxi;
- If you take a taxi at the airport or train station, you will pay about 3 euros for boarding;
- Each piece of baggage costs 0.9 euros;
- For the fourth passenger, you will need to pay an additional 2.6 euros. If the taxi driver agrees to put «superfluous» passenger;
- For 1 kilometer of the way, you will need to pay approximately 0.6-1.25 euros.
The average cost of travel from one end of the city to the other will be approximately 10 euros.
Almost all French taxis are equipped with special radiotelephones, through which the dispatcher can always find a free car and send it to the specified address. Without interrupting the conversation with the client, the taxi operator can quickly find a free car and show you the taxi number and the brand of the car that will come for you. The dispatcher will also tell you in how many minutes approximately you can expect a taxi to arrive.
Calling a taxi in the morning or early evening will be quite difficult, so call a taxi a little ahead of time. This can be done by phone: 01-49-36-10-10 or 01-47-39-47-39. If you need, you can ask for a luxury car that can accommodate 5-8 passengers. In France, it is not customary to catch private traders, so it is better to use the services of an official company.
