[Every car you see in these photos is a taxi. This is just one terminal; there are eight at CDG and two at Orly.]
Why can't you get a taxi when you need one in Paris-- at night, on the weekend, at rush hour, when it rains, when the sales are on? (The sales start tomorrow.)
Because night and day there are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of Paris taxis waiting for hours at each of the airport terminals. There are more at night than in the daytime, but I couldn't take a good photo then.
The sign that tells them how long the wait will be for a fare (the fact that this sign exists is already a bad indicator) is usually bloqué at 2h15. This morning it was at "only" 1h15.
Why do they not go back into Paris, which is only fifteen minutes away? Because of our car-hating, non-driving, célibataire, unelected mayor who has made driving in the city a nightmare even for drivers who supposedly have priority, like taxis, ambulances and police cars.
That's why.
Enough about this subject for a while.
Don't agree.
The reason is quiet different. Taxis never existed significantly in Paris. Delanoe is for nothing and Paris is not NY city.
Taxis are waiting in the airport just because it is more profitable for them. They always refused that the prefecture increases the number of taxi license in Paris.
I suggest you should do as every Paris inhabitant: Take tube or buses, it's less expensive and the density of their network (at least inside Paris) is really very high.
From Sedulia: Dear Fred,
"as every Paris inhabitant"? I *am* a Paris inhabitant.
Several taxi drivers have told me themselves that the taxi drivers prefer not to drive in Paris because of our dear mayor's city-crushing "improvements." Have you asked them? I have.
As for your kind advice: thanks, but I do not take the tube and bus when there are several people with me, or I am transporting heavy things, or I am traveling out of the country before or afterwards, or I will be coming back late at night when the tube and bus stop. This is most of the time.
There are not enough taxis in Paris. Until there are, et ce n'est pas demain la veille, I will be taking my car everywhere. I agree with you though on one thing:
Delanoe is for nothing!
That doesn't mean what you think it does.
Posted by: Fred | 17 January 2006 at 11:26
Hi Sedulia !
Your commenter Fred wrote:
"Taxis never existed significantly in Paris."
Well, in 1914 there were enough of them to save the French Army on the Marne. -grin-
Back to the history books, Fred.
Amerloque fully agrees with Sedulia: the transport situation in Paris has become unbearable thanks to the City Hall and its shortsighted policies.
Best,
L'Amerloque
Posted by: L'Amerloque | 18 January 2006 at 13:31