PARIS

A group of chauffeurs for Uber and other ride-hailing companies staged a protest in Paris today over the French government's response to last week's taxi strike. The drivers staged what organizers called a "funeral march" for their profession, which they believe to be under siege after the prime minister moved to crack down on ride-hailing apps last week.

Hundreds of chauffeurs gathered outside the Montparnasse train station in Paris today, blocking surrounding streets with their cars before marching north toward the Invalides complex, near the Seine river. There were no signs of violence or aggression as of noon local time, though riot police had to escort a taxi that inexplicably became trapped in the middle of a circle of black cars. Some protesters threw objects at the taxi, but they were quickly reprimanded with whistles and wagging fingers from others. Many cars were adorned with French flags or signs criticizing Prime Minister Manuel Valls, and they blared their horns nonstop as they continued toward Invalides.

Today's demonstration comes after thousands of taxi drivers blocked roadways and burned tires in Paris and other cities last week, calling for an end to Uber and other non-taxi services that allow passengers to book rides with independent professional chauffeurs — a class of companies known in France as "voitures de tourisme avec chauffeur" (VTC). After meeting with taxi union heads, Valls on Friday announced measures to tighten restrictions on the VTC industry and force companies like Uber to stop using certain salaried drivers. The measures were greeted with cautious optimism from taxi unions, which ended the three-day strike, but they've raised the ire of chauffeur companies.

"Mr. Valls guillotined us," says Joseph François, president of Alternative Mobilité Transport (AMT), the chauffeur association that organized today's protest.

AMT's ten members are all companies that operate so-called LOTI vehicles — a designation for cars that carry at least two passengers. The companies hire drivers on full-time contracts (unlike VTC drivers, who are largely independent), and in recent years have begun relying heavily on partnerships with companies like Uber. Last week, the prime minister sent letters to Uber and other French app companies, ordering them to stop allowing LOTI drivers on their platform.

The decision was seen as a concession to the taxi unions, who argued that by working with Uber, LOTI companies were circumventing a recent law that limits their activity to group transport. Drivers have begun using LOTI licenses to work for companies like Uber, in part, because the requirements are less stringent than standard VTC licenses. But François says the law is ambiguous, and the economic costs would be catastrophic. He says Uber and other apps account for 70 percent of all LOTI business.

"For us, this decision was made under pressure, under constraints," François says, referring to the influence of taxi unions. "That is what we are denouncing."

http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/3/10903662/uber-protest-paris-taxi-strike-vtc