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Paris airport rolls out new taxi system after fake driver hits tourists for €247 ride

Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris has introduced a new scheme to protect tourists from rogue taxi drivers after one couple were hit with a €247 bill by an illegal cabbie.

Published: 21 December 2018 10:00 CET
Paris airport rolls out new taxi system after fake driver hits tourists for €247 ride
Photo: AFP

CDG airport has introduced new “official airport taxis” (Taxi Officiel Aéroport) which will be available from 5am to 11pm everyday at specific taxi ranks.

The ranks will be easier to locate for those tourists who are regularly confused by the signage at  the country's biggest airport.

Around 40 taxi drivers will now wear numbered blue vests so tourists can easily spot them and help them detect which drivers might be fake.

“The hunt for illegal taxi drivers is a public safety priority,” said Paris police chief Michel Delpuech.

“Taxi services are part of the welcoming,” said Delpuech adding that illegal drivers have a huge negative impact on the economy and tourism.

The problem of illegal taxi drivers at CDG airport has increased in recent years with 918 drivers stopped by police in 2018 compared to 243 in 2016.

One experienced airport taxi driver told RTL radio: “It's time to react. But we also need police to be on the ground at the airport. The fake taxi drivers taunt us and insult us on a daily basis and things can get violent.”

The issue of illegal taxi drivers was highlighted in November when a couple of tourists from Thailand shared a video online of how they were conned by a cabbie who hit them with a €247 bill for a ride from CDG airport to the centre of Paris.

VIDEO: Tourists in Paris warned after couple hit with €247 taxi fare from CDG airport

In the video you see the unlicensed driver of the “taxi” demanding €247 aggressively in English from his two passengers, a couple from Thailand. 
 
The journey was from Charles de Gaulle airport to Paris which in an official Paris taxi can only cost a maximum of €55 after a flat rate fee system for official taxis taking passengers to and from the capital's airports was introduced in 2016. 
 
Tourists are encouraged to head to the official taxi ranks and not be persuaded to get into a car by drivers waiting at arrivals. For more information on how to avoid being conned by fake taxi drives in Paris see link below.

READ ALSO: What you need to know about taking a taxi in Paris to avoid being conned

What you need to know about taking a taxi in Paris

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TRAVEL NEWS

UPDATED: These are the Italian regions that now require tourists to register in advance

Anyone hoping to visit Sardinia, Sicily Puglia or Calabria this summer must remember to fill out a form stating where they'll stay and when they'll leave as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus.

Published: 8 June 2020 12:08 CEST
Updated: 29 June 2020 16:24 CEST
UPDATED: These are the Italian regions that now require tourists to register in advance
Anyone arriving in Sardinia must now register with local authorities. Photo: Pascal Pochard-Casabianca/AFP

*Please note that this article from 2020 is no longer being updated. See the latest Italian travel news here.*

Since the beginning of June, when Italy allowed travel between regions again and reopened to European tourists, most journeys in Italy no longer involve paperwork – with a few exceptions.

While tourism is allowed and you don’t need to justify your reasons for travelling, some of Italy’s most popular summer destinations now ask visitors to register with the regional authorities in order to track and trace anyone potentially bringing the virus with them from elsewhere.

The process is separate from showing your ID when you check into tourist accommodation, which is standard practice all over Italy; now it is travellers’ responsibility to give their contact details directly to regional authorities by filling in a designated form.

The requirement aims to help protect regions that have so far had fewer cases as people beginning returning home from other parts of Italy, or heading south for a beach break.

The rules apply to everyone arriving, regardless of their nationality. Here are the parts of Italy where they’re in force.

Sardinia

Italy’s second-biggest island requires anyone arriving by plane or boat to complete its ‘Sardegna Sicura’ registration form, which is available online here.

The form asks travellers for their contact details, the flights or ferries they’re arriving and departing on, their address(es) in Sardinia and a piece of ID. Visitors must also agree to follow coronavirus prevention rules such as wearing a face mask, to inform local health authorities is they develop symptoms, and to submit to tests if necessary.

READ ALSO: Ajò! Handy local words to use on your next trip to Sardinia

While you can fill out most information up to a month before your trip, you’ll also be required to declare that you don’t have any symptoms no more than 48 hours before you travel.

Airlines and ferry companies will ask passengers to show their completed forms before boarding, and will also be checking travellers’ temperature.


Photo: Andreas Solaro/AFP

Sicily

Until September 30th, all visitors should register on the Sicilia Si Cura website (also available as an app). 

READ ALSO: Can Sicily’s plan to subsidise your holidays save its tourism industry?

The portal allows non-residents to log their presence and health status and to alert authorities if they develop symptoms. All information is available in English.

Tourists can also call the toll-free number 800 458 787 for assistance in Italian or English.

Puglia

Anyone entering Puglia from another part of Italy or overseas must complete a form online (available here) and email it to their doctor if they’re a resident of the region, or to the local health authorities in the province where they’ll be staying if they live elsewhere (find a list here).

Visitors should also keep a record of everywhere they visit and everyone they come into contact with for 30 days following their arrival in Puglia, which they may be asked to produce in the event of an outbreak.

While the region says the requirement applies to everyone arriving by public or private transport, it’s unclear how tightly it is being policed. Meanwhile people travelling for work, health reasons, emergencies or to transport goods are exempt.

Incomers are also encouraged to download Italy’s contact-tracing app Immuni. 

For further advice, you can call the region’s hotline on 800 713 931 within Italy or 0039 080 337 3398 from overseas.

Calabria

The southern region requires visitors to register online here. 

READ ALSO: Seven crowd-free alternatives to Italy’s tourist hotspots

You should complete the form before you arrive, listing where you’re departing from, where you’re staying and how long for. You must also agree to inform the local health authorities if you develop symptoms.

The form is available in Italian and English.

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