Understand the tensions between Maralpine and Monegasque taxis in five minutes
Two drivers, one in Nice, the other in Monaco, gave us their point of view on this complex situation which has been going on for several months.
At the time, the tweet had set fire to the powder. On January 4, Fabrice Cavallera, President of the Syndicat des Taxis de Nice and the French Federation of Provincial Taxis, published on Twitter: “ We rewarded @GvtMonaco once again for this order prohibiting more than 1100 Maralpin taxis from being able to unload their customers on the Rock!!! »
A message stemming from the publication of a ministerial decree in the Journal de Monaco last December, stating that ” Only vehicles with a vignette will be able to access the Monaco-Ville district, in order to pick up or drop off customers at Place de la Visitation only. »
We have customers who pay us to go from point A to point B, not to point A’.
Fabrice Cavallera
A beginning of a solution
A situation then unacceptable for Fabrice Cavallera, who immediately contacted the Public Security: “ Without a vignette, we had to stop at the roundabout, on the Place d’Armes. Public Security told me that customers could finish on foot and take the elevator. I said, “Is this a joke? “We have customers who pay us to go from point A to point B, not to point A’. (…) When there are cruises in Cannes or Villefranche, taxis act as tour operators. We don’t know who we’re taking in the car. It can be personalities, ministers, who need to go to Monaco. Except that after a while, these people may get fed up and will only call on Monegasque taxis. »
For his part, Jean-Luc Noaro, Secretary of the Association of Independent Taxi Operators of Monaco, said he was very surprised when he read the tweet of January 4: ” There was no more animosity with the maralpine taxis. (…) We didn’t do anything special., it was not a request on our part. (…) We do not have all the elements but we think that a policeman, who was not aware, had to forbid a taxi registered 06 to pass when he had every right to do so.. »
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On the contrary, according to him, Monegasque taxis would even have an interest in cohabitation with Maralpine taxis going as well as possible: “ it’s quite normal that they unload their client on the Rock. We are not going to say to customers “sorry madam / sir, we are leaving you at the Place d’Armes. “It’s completely grotesque and counterproductive. It wouldn’t make any sense! For the image of taxis as a general rule, it is better that the maralpins do their job properly, without restriction. »
The French Embassy in Monaco finally looked into the matter, concluding this verbal agreement: taxis registered 06, even without a sticker, can unload their customers on the Rock, the Public Security being invited to show tolerance.
We cannot give this sticker to all taxis, because it would be an invasion.
Jean-Luc Noaro
The Discord Thumbnail
Despite this agreement, Fabrice Cavallera remains on his guard. Because the question of the sticker, of 750 euros per year, remains at the heart of the negotiations: “ the problem is that not all maralpine taxis are affected. Only TWELVE taxis in the whole department can get it. (…) While Monegasque taxis, when they buy the airport vignette, which only costs 220 euros per year, are not limited in number. In two transfers, their vignette is amortized. They completely benefit from the negotiations I compensated for during the covid crisis. »
Jean-Luc Noaro explains that this vignette is above all a story of reciprocity: “ we cannot give this sticker to all taxis, because it would be an invasion. Monaco is a territory of two kilometers and they themselves have all of France! Also, the airport is international, so it’s intended that all taxis can go there. It’s not just for taxis in Nice. »
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For several months now, the question of the vignette is at the heart of the debates. A few meetings have taken place internally since the beginning of the year and consultations were to be held from April. Jean-Luc Noaro reports the status quo: ” problems with covid could still arise. The war in Ukraine will also undoubtedly impact tourism on the Riviera. Since we do not really know where we are going, the Government prefers that nothing changes for the moment. “Fabrice Cavallera pleads for a greater number of taxis authorized to obtain the precious sesame.
In the meantime, tolerance would therefore be in order. For Jean-Luc Noaro, even if it is normal for the Public Security to carry out checks from time to time, he claims to have never seen the slightest taxi from Nice being stopped by the Monegasque authorities. On the other hand, he recalls that the recovery of customers in Monaco can only be done with the famous sticker or if the taxi picks up a customer that it has dropped off within eight hours.
If Fabrice Cavallera says he is not very optimistic with the approach of the debates which will be held in the spring, for his part, the Monegasque driver says to himself in a logic of appeasement: ” Our objective, in the long term, is to work as much as possible with Riviera taxis in Nice. We can’t move forward without them, we need to have synergy with them and even with all the taxis in the 06. We want to discuss with them, find solutions to all the problems. The objective is not the war between the taxis. It would be ridiculous and it would lead to nothing. It’s much smarter to work together. ” To be continued.