Complete Guide to Taxis in Paris (Rates, Apps, Precautions)

Taxi in Paris is a safe and reliable solution that is independent of the occasional mishaps of the RATP (metro) or the SNCF (RER, suburban trains)…

But, how do you take a taxi in Paris? How much does it cost? Where can you find them?

That’s what we’re going to explain in this article.

Paris taxi
Need a taxi in Paris? We’ll explain everything – Credits : (WT-shared) Riggwelter / Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA

 

Fees for a Taxi Are Regulated in Paris

First of all, the pick-up, for any ride, will be charged at a maximum of 4.18. This price can be lower, and G7, the main taxi company in Paris, charges €2.60.

There are then 3 different kilometric rates for the cost of the ride itself:

Minimum cost of a ride: €7.10
Rate ARate BRate C
€1.14/km€1.53/km€1.70/km
Taxi tariff zones Paris area
The three tariff urban areas used by taxis in Paris (©Photo Paris Police Prefecture)
Urban Zone (red)Suburban Zone (blue)Beyond the Suburban Zone (white)
Monday to Saturday
10am - 5pm: Rate A
5pm - 10am: Rate B
Monday to Saturday
7am - 7pm: Rate B
7pm - 7am: Rate C
Rate C
Any day and any time
Sundays (including holidays)
7am - 12pm: Rate B
12pm-7am: Rate C
Sundays and holidays
Day and night: Rate C
Holidays
Day and night: Rate B

 

Surcharges:

People:

  • €4.50/additional person beyond the 5th one (2 children under 10 = 1 adult)

Luggage:

  • €1 from the second piece of luggage over 5kg

Booking:

  • €4, instant booking (ASAP, no appointment time)
  • €7, pre-booking (appointment with a precise time)

 

Examples:

  • Ride Châtelet – La Défense (9.5km), Monday, 10am (Suburban Zone, rate B): €20-30
  • Ride Gare du Nord – Gare de Lyon (5.8km), Thursday, 4pm, (Urban Zone, rate A): €9-15
  • Ride Gare de Lyon – La Défense (12.1km), Sunday, 10pm (Suburban Zone, rate C): €30-45
  • Ride La Défense – Roissy CDG Airport (26.1km), Saturday, 5.30am (Suburban Zone, rate C): €41.20

 

Specific cases from/to the airports:

Rides between Paris proper and Paris airports (Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Orly) are subject to flat fees.

They are thus different between the airport and the place of departure or the destination.

Prices are different if the destination is located on the left bank or on the right bank of the River Seine:

Left BankRight Bank
Roissy CDG Airport€62€55
Orly Airport€35€41

If you happen to change your destination or ask for a detour during a Paris-airport ride, you will be charged for the price of the flat fee and the price of the ride according to the meter, calculated according to the regular rates (cf. rate charts 1 and 2).

A taxi driver cannot refuse to drive you to one of Paris airports (Orly, Roissy CDG, Le Bourget), whatever your initial position is. Leaving from Roissy, the driver is compelled to accept any destination.

 

How To Take a Taxi in Paris?

There are several ways to find and take a taxi in Paris. Beyond the popular wave followed by a “Taxi!”, you can access taxi services by:

  • hailing one on the street
  • booking one
  • taking one at a taxi station (in the train stations, airports, etc.)
    via a dedicated mobile app (cf. § Mobile Apps)

As a customer, you obviously have certain rights when a taxi picks you up:

  • in a station, you have the right to choose your taxi; but that is not the case in airports and in train stations.
  • you can choose your seating: you may sit in the front or in the back of the vehicle.
  • your driver must take the shortest route to your destination unless you ask for a detour or a particular route.

However, a driver can refuse to pick you up for one of these reasons:

  • if your luggage cannot be carried by hand (except foldable wheelchairs)
  • if you are noticeably drunk
  • if you have a pet with you (except guide dogs)
  • if your luggage or clothing might spoil the inside of the vehicle
  • if you are less than 50 meters away from a taxi station with taxis awaiting
  • if you wish to go somewhere beyond the three peripheral departments (Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-de-Marne)

 

 

Available Mobile Apps for Taxis in Paris

NB: regulated rates listed previously apply for taxi company apps (G7 and Alpha Taxis).

 

Taxi G7

G7 logo
©Taxis G7

With its 9,000 authorized drivers in Paris, Taxi G7 is the European leader of taxi companies.

You can order a taxi either by calling them at 3607, or by ordering it online, or directly via their app “G7 Taxi”.

Via the app, you can see which drivers are the closest, order a ride leaving from your current position or the position of your choosing, and even pay the ride directly via the app!

You can download the app here: Apple App Store / Google Play Store

 

 

Paris Taxis

Paris taxi logo
©Paris Taxis

This is the official app of the city of Paris. 4,000 drivers from the governmental record “Le Taxi” are registered here, as well as the nearest stations.

As well, it shows the number of taxis available in those stations.

You can download the app here: Apple App Store / Google Play Store

 

 

Tako

©Tako

As well as the usual driver booking functions via an interactive map, Tako – a small French start-up – offers a very interesting concept for the users: the ordered taxi does not charge any approaching costs; so the meter only starts once you are inside the vehicle.

Moreover, TAKO allows the client to precisely value the cost of the trip before the booking.

You have the possibility to pay cash, by credit card or “In App” – directly on the application.

You can download the app here: Apple App Store / Google Play Store

 

 

Alpha Taxis

Alpha Taxis logo
©AlphaTaxis

Alpha Taxis is a cooperative company of Parisian drivers. Almost 1,200 taxis are registered, which makes it the greatest company in the Paris region.

This structure has its own mobile app allowing you to order a driver.

It also has interesting options when it comes to choosing your vehicle: availability 24/7, free booking, choice of the type of vehicle, etc.

You can download the app here: Apple App Store / Google Play Store

 

FREENOW

freenow
©FREENOW

FREENOW, formerly Kapten, is a cab and chauffeur-driven transport vehicle application that offers services throughout Europe and many cities in France, including Paris.

The booking is done online on their application, in a simple and efficient way.

It is the perfect application for people concerned about the environment, as FREENOW is committed to becoming Net Zero Carbon by 2030 by electrifying half of their vehicles, developing their micro-mobility offer for short trips and facilitating the recharging of their partners’ electric vehicles.

You can download the application here: Apple App Store / Google Play Store (in French, but you can set the language in the app)

 

Precautions to take

When you arrive in Paris and do not know much about the transport network, you may be tempted to get in the first taxi you encounter.

Do not make that mistake!

There are indeed many illegal drivers lurking near train stations, airports, hotels, and highly touristy places.

They will offer you knock-down prices; do not trust them.

Their meters are often corrupted, and the ride’s cost will be much higher than with an official taxi driver.

How, then, can we recognize genuine taxi drivers?

It is quite simple: there must be the well-known “Taxi Parisien” lamp with the diodes corresponding to the tariff system “A, B ou C” and the availability diode (green for “free”, red for “occupied”) must appear on the vehicle, a small poster on the back window indicating the regulation of París’ Taxis and the current rate standards, a licensed plate with the authorized parking number written in red on a black background mentioning “PARIS” on the right-front fender, and, finally, a meter recording kilometers per hour inside the vehicle.

Despite those precautions, some people might feel insecure, particularly women.

Traveling alone, or simply having to travel late at night, can indeed be challenging for ladies.

But there are solutions to overcome this.

A company has been created by women and for women: the French start-up Women Drive offers a fleet of vehicles only driven by women and for an all-female customer base.

Users have access to the classic services offered by a taxi or a private hire vehicle, that is, pre-booking, availability 24/7, a “long-distance” service, paying online beforehand, and the possibility of a return trip.

 

Our Advice & Recommendations

If you have to travel within Paris by taxi, we can only advise you to be cautious and always careful.

If you have any doubt about a driver offering you his service, do not get inside the vehicle.

Select drivers who are in a taxi zone in airports and train stations, or pre-book by phone via various companies’ platforms.

You can also check out our article In Paris, is it Better to Travel by Taxi or Uber? where we establish a comparison between regular taxi services and Uber.