French cabbies seek payout for lost Olympics revenue

Paris: French taxi drivers on Thursday demanded government compensation for lost revenue during the Olympic Games as traffic disruptions and fewer reg...

Paris: French taxi drivers on Thursday demanded government compensation for lost revenue during the Olympic Games as traffic disruptions and fewer regular clients weigh on demand.

In a letter to the transport ministry, taxi unions said that the Games had been "hugely disappointing" for the drivers of licensed taxis of which there are 20,000 in Paris alone.

"Demand is slowing and the entire profession is being prevented from simply doing their job because of these Games," said the letter, seen by AFP.

The number of additional visitors drawn by the Olympics had failed to make up for "the impact of traffic restrictions, the closure of venues and the impact of usual customers staying away", it said.

The unions demanded the creation of a "compensation fund" that they said should cover income lost for the seven-month period during which public spaces were being taken over for the Games.