Paris taxis

Either the whole system is down, or they want to be paid in cash. I know drivers prefer cash. I once landed without a centime in my pocket and searched for a taxi that had a meter. Once in town, the driver offered to stop at an ATM because he really wanted cash. It wasn’t necessary because my husband met us outside our apartment with cash.
We pay nearly everything with a card—except taxis.
I’m not in Paris and have read nothing in the French newspapers nor seen anything on the French news about systems being down.

They want cash because they are cheating the company or the tax man. We once had one agree to take half on the card and half in cash as we didn't have enough cash.

Download the G7 app and order your taxi thru that. You can add a CC so it charges automatically. If you are out and hail a G7 you can also pay while you are in the cab.

BTW, I take off the CC when I return home, then add it back in when I travel again.

It does happen from time to time but 6 out of 6 times in Paris is bad luck!

Ok, this is pretty funny. Just grabbed a cab from Gare de l’Est to my hotel. It was a G7. I asked before I got in if I could use a card. Oui, he says. Looked inside the taxi for his ID # so I could charge it as we go. No number anywhere.

At the hotel he saw cash in my wallet when I pulled out my CC and he asked for cash. All I had was a 20 which covered the 19.70€ fare with a 30 Euro cent tip.

I did just head to the ATM to get some cash in case I have some reason to grab another cab before I schedule one to take me to the train next week. I’ll prebook and prepay that one.

I’d been doing pretty well with going cashless until now!

Also had to pay cash for a cab to the station in Colmar this morning but I knew ahead of time he didn’t have the means to do a card. Apparently this is a cab that takes people to the hospital AND had another passenger in it, lol.

Weird day…are the planets doing something funky?

Looked inside the taxi for his ID # so I could charge it as we go. No number anywhere.

All taxi information, to include driver identification and rates, is on a decal located on the rear left window. The information is in French and English.

Tangentially, this reminds me of when taxis in NYC were newly required to take cards. Somehow every machine was "broken". I magically made them work by saying, "I can give you my phone number, and you can find me when it's fixed. I'll be in Brooklyn this afternoon."

Thanks Pam for the G7 info. I just downloaded the app and set up an account. Good hint about not adding/deleting CC info if you’re not in Paris.
Thanks Tocard about the taxi info window sticker.

Although strange, I think as long as your paying a fair fare then there is no scam. The tax issue is between him and his employer.

Thanks, Tocard. There was a sticker on that LR window re: fares from CDG and Orly but I didn’t notice his info. Should have looked closer.

I agree Letizia. These people work hard for their money. At CDG,or any station, the wait to pick up a fare is about 2 hours, They are all downstairs in a 2-hour line waiting for us and our measly cash. When my husband was growing up in Paris, the family had friends who drove cabs--we always tip.

The only problem I've ever had was with a G7 driver last fall who was driving us the wrong direction, until I asked him why he was going out of his way. Then he got back on track. I had lived in the neighborhood and done the route by taxi many times. His fare came up a couple of euros higher higher, but he lost his tip. For the tiny amount, I didn't bother reporting it to G7 or the Prefecture, which is where complaints go.

Is it customary to add a tip for the driver when you book a ride through the G7 app, or to tip if you use Bolt or FreeNow?

@Sally4th: The G7 app asks you to tip...before the ride, which does not make any sense. So any tip would have to be paid in cash to the driver!
Uber and its competitors make it easier to tip through the app. No idea if it is customary, though, but since the driver won't see your tip until after you've left, just follow your heart!

While in Paris, what do folks prefer - Uber or G7 taxi?

I am familiar with the Uber app, so was thinking of continuing to use that.

tia!

I prefer G7 by far. I haven't used Uber in quite some time. It's basically impossible to actually get a driver to pick you up with Uber these days, it seems like to me

Besides Uber and G7, you also have FreeNow and Bolt, which compete with Uber. It is true that Uber / FreeNow / Bolt rides are less reliable than G7 taxis, but they are usually cheaper once you factor in the 4€ on-the-spot booking fee for G7 (unless there is a surge pricing).
It is also perfectly possible to just hop in a taxi at one of the many taxi ranks around the city. Between 10 AM and 5 PM (lowest "A" fares), this is typically cheaper than Uber for rides within Paris, and faster (since taxis can use bus lanes whereas Uber et al. cannot)!

After Uber tried their dynamic pricing model in Paris, I vowed never to use them again. For those who do not remember, Uber implemented a variable, constantly increasing, price structure such that passengers did not know what they would be charged until they reached their destination.

I do use Bolt and FreeNow, particularly to the airports, and occasionally taxi. If you want to pay with a credit card, confirm your choice with the driver before you climb in for a ride.

Steve, I was there in June with a group of 5 and had a hard time getting pickups with either G7 or Uber. I do not know if it was drivers refusing the fare because of the size of the party (requires a Mercedes van essentially) or a tech issue, but I would get up to the final confirmation step and it would never seem to process. So we made do with the metro and our feet.

I think I was successful once with each app. I successfully used Uber to get back from the Eiffel lights rather late at night (and the driver spent the whole ride in a screaming match on the phone with his significant other). It is not surprising there were Uber drivers around since there is such a big crowd there.

I think the only time I successfully used the G7 app was when I scheduled a pickup several days out to take us to the train station.

In Paris now and planned to set up my G7 app prior to but didn’t. Came by Eurostar to gate du Nord and we went to the “accredited” taxi rank. Unfortunately the driver we got didn’t start the meter and when we got to the hotel he tried to claim there was a taxi strike and my fare was 65€ I called BS on him and it was on. For his leverage he shouldn’t have unloaded our bags before the fare dispute but I made sure not to ask our fare until the bags were out, since I figured something was up.

Long story short and back and forth I paid him 17€ and later saw on G7 the fare range was 18-21€ so felt that was fair ( for me) I came super close to just dropping a 10 on his seat and walking away.

First thing I did when in the room was finish setting up my G7 account. Lesson learned. Used last night no problem and plan to use again tonight. Lesson learned!

Edit to Add: thinking of pre-booking our CDG taxi Friday AM through G7. Anyone with experience on this?

Lesson learned, no, you are teaching all of us lessons. Bravo. Good for you.

Airport --we pre-order G7 or another company if we don't take the RER

I've used both Uber & G7. Tried Bolt last Nov/Dec, but after they dropped our pick up twice within 1 minute of arrival I stopped using them. Booking my return trip to CDG on G7 the night before is my preferred method.

I had several taxis in Paris, some called by my hotel for me and some from taxi stands and once from Gare de l'Est. Maybe I was lucky but I never had any issues, I just chose to pay in cash with no worries. You just have to do some math in your head if you want to tip.

On the other hand when I taxied to CDG he couldn't or wouldn't accept one of my credit cards so we had to force through another. This happened to me on the same route many years ago. I guess it's a classic example of hope for the best, prepare for the worst. Make sure you and your travel partner have an assortment of Visa and Mastercards from different banks.

Jed — yes, go ahead and pre-book for airport departure. You will incur a 7-euro fee, but it is worth it for peace of mind (in my opinion).

At the end of April I booked a 6am G7 pick-up for the ride to CDG.
I had previously installed the app but not used it before.
I think the fare was 60 Euros charged to my card which was already on file with them.
The driver showed up on time with a very comfortable car, was a good and careful driver, and all was easy.
I will definitely use G7 again.

Same here. G7 drivers and their cars are much better than Uber.

As a side note: Drivers seemed to love G7 too. They pay a fixed fee to G7 each month and after that they keep all of what they make. Uber on the other hand takes a (big) cut from each ride.