the VTC market | France

1.1 Presentation and definition of the VTC market

The term VTC means "Transport Car with Driver" and refers to " operators who make one or more chauffeur-driven transport vehicles available to their customers, under conditions agreed in advance between the parties "(Article L 3122-1 of the Transport Code).

Previously, the profession was called "Operation of passenger cars with driver", but it changed its name following the Thévenoud law in 2014. It is part of the segment of "Private Public Transport of Passengers" (TPPP or T3P).

VTCs offer services similar to those of taxis, allowing customers to travel from point A to point B in a chauffeur-driven car The differences between the two services lie in the status of the driver, the pricing of the trips, the comfort or the conditions of customer care.

The VTC sector is very recent in France: the first mobile applications for putting VTC drivers in contact with customers will appear in December 2011, in particular with Uber France, the French subsidiary of the American company Uber. The arrival of these platforms in France has totally changed the transport market, particularly in large cities where taxis have until now had a monopoly on T3P The market in France has very good growth prospects in the coming years with annual revenue growth estimated at more than 85%.

The potential slowing down of the market that can nevertheless be highlighted lies in the speed of access of VTC drivers to the profession, especially since the implementation of the Grandguillaume law on January 1st 2018.

Finally, there are two areas of attention in the sector that could lead to future changes in the sector: the difference in status between taxis and VTC (which the regulations are gradually trying to regulate) and the social protection of the self-employed working on collaborative platforms.