SETTLING IN - CultureShock! A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette - page 169

Having called for pickup, you will be charged from the
time the cab began its trip to pick you up, not from the
time you get in. It is thus best to know the location of
the nearest taxi stand. A cruising taxi may not pick up a
customer within 50 m of a stand unless there are no taxis
or customers waiting there.
The top light on the roof of the taxi is lit when it is
unoccupied. Three smaller lights indicate the type of fare in
the cab (day, night or to suburban zones). Each taxi has a
compteur (meter), the fare determined by a combination of
time and distance. Rates are strictly regulated, raised once
annually and consistent throughout the taxi system. There
are supplements for each piece of baggage, for holidays, for
pickup at the airport and when there are more than three
people in a cab—although often drivers refuse (legally) to
accept a fourth passenger, being unwilling to have someone
ride in the front seat with them (other than their dog). Do
not agree to pay a driver's return trip from the airport and
be wary of cut-rate offers. The driver is usually given a 10-15
per cent tip. Some, but not all, taxis accept credit cards; to
avoid misunderstandings, inform the driver when you enter
the cab if you want to use a card—not when it's time to pay.
Below are some major 24-hour radio cabs:
Alpha Taxis; tel: [phone]
Taxis Bleus; tel: [phone]
Taxis G7; tel: [phone]
Taxi drivers undergo several months of training and
must be certified to obtain a licence, so they are usually
knowledgeable about the city. If you have a complaint, get
a receipt with the number of the cab and lodge a complaint
with the Service des taxis, Préfecture de Police at 36 rue des
Morillons, 75015; tel: [phone].
Driving in Paris
Public transportation in Paris is so good that you should not
need a car for everyday use. Rush hour traffic is extremely
slow and can be much worse on rainy days. During rush
hour, traffic on the périphérique slows to a crawl and the