Electronic marauding or downright soliciting of customers in front of hotel brands and beach establishments.
Between Saint-Tropez and Ramatuelle, “it’s a mess” evoke without language of wood the professionals of the transport, that they are taxi or official VTC (car of transport with driver), whose work is disturbed by a whole fauna of transporters apart from the nails.
“Without faith or law”, according to one of the daily observers of this carousel, to the point that clashes are multiplying. A taxi driver had a serious altercation in early summer with an Uber driver on the quays of the port of Saint-Tropez. “We asked the town hall to leave the access terminals to the port until 6 a.m. (instead of 3 hours), It solved a lot of problems.”, testifies a craftsman. The drop-off is done further away and the port has regained its tranquility, preserving the image with holidaymakers.
Marauding and soliciting…
But the circus is the same in the car parks of Pampelonne: the excitement rises, on the way back from the beaches with drivers hailing summer visitors to pick up groceries. The cocktail can quickly become explosive: valets have had trouble with slickers who have come to the threshold of establishments to capture customers. The CRS present on Pampelonne, have already played the Blue Helmets.
In Ramatuelle (Tamaris, Patch, Matarane and Épi car parks), it can quickly become a rat race during the hot hours.
Tempers flare, even between illegal drivers, who went so far as to settle their account after the beaches were closed. “We suffer the situation, we are helpless”, concedes the president of the VTC association, Laurent Tardieu who attends this furious ride.
A VTC in good standing had the tires of his van punctured. Flying words become thinly veiled threats. This president deplores this presence which feeds on marauding: situations reported to the gendarmerie brigade by the association for each violation detected.
“It has become the jungle”
At the end of the day, the ballet of these black vehicles traces an endless procession on the road to the beaches. At night, they even stall in front of hotel gates. “It’s getting crazy”experiences the president VTC.
“How can town halls leave all these illegal vehicles parked at Pilon (St-Tropez) or on the beach road (between Saint-Tropez and Ramatuelle), there are people sleeping there”notes each evening, Jean-Michel, VTC responsible.
Blame the uninhibited apps. “We know that some apps told drivers that they would take less commission in Saint-Tropez” than in large cities (25%), a professional believes. And other apps are still arriving: Bolt (Estonia) with even tighter prices or the Freenow network (Germany).
The fault also, with an international clientele which does not always make the distinction. “Some people order rides, but leave with Ubers that park and pretend to be usexperienced a VTC in good standing. With all these drivers, it has become the jungle”.
“They are aggressive”
And the aggressiveness went up a notch: “They are aggressive because they want to recover the market” testifies a long-time professional. Above all, “The summer of 2022 was enormous. It produced a call for air. Many drivers came. This season, there is less work. We feel that they are on their toes and that they are fighting to the same races, observes a local carrier.
A climate also felt by some customers who say they no longer want their children to order unknown drivers, underlines a taxi driver from the Gulf. From fear to a darker reality, there is only one step. According to our information, a passenger was assaulted a few days ago near the Citadel of Saint-Tropez. “Investigation in progress”succinctly confirms the gendarmerie.
Last indelicacy noted these days: vacationers book a trip on an application: the price is fixed, but when the driver arrives, he no longer wants to take them to their destination. The terms have changed radically: you have to pay a larger sum, otherwise he’s gone.
For a Saint-Tropez/Marseille, initially set at 280 euros, the price increases to 400 euros. Helpless in the face of this last-minute pressure, tourists often crack, faced with what is akin to racketeering.