the lucrative business of illegal taxis

Far from competing with each other, near a Parisian train station, touts all seem to know each other and help each other. They offer prices more than double the price of a trip with an official taxi. Illegal taxis approach travelers in plain sight, next to the line leading to official taxis. Despite the awareness-raising operations, they are still present. “We don’t dare talk to them, because they are aggressive. (…) It weighs on our turnover, they take customers in front of uss”, confides a Parisian taxi.

At the airport, the France Télévisions team of journalists is approached by a man who seems to be a tout. On board, he admits to being a VTC, a self-employed person who also works for the Uber platform. By not going through the platform, he says he avoids commission fees. Payment is made by credit card, contactless.

The hunt for fake taxis is led by plainclothes police officers, members of the Boer brigade. That day, they arrested a suspicious man who did not have the VTC badge on his vehicle. By arresting him, they uncover a scam system that they know well. “They are loaned accounts on applications”, explains an agent. On social networks, several people are offering accounts for rent, between 200 and 500 euros per week.

Watch the full report in the video above