Two trades from the same family
Taxis and VTC both belong to the public transport of individuals, governed by the transport code. In either case, the driver needs a category B licence held for three years (two with accompanied driving), a favourable medical opinion, a pass in a CMA-run exam and then a professional card.
The tests are close: trade regulation, road safety, French and English, and a 20-minute driving route. The taxi exam adds invoicing and the card terminal. The detailed VTC steps appear in how to become a VTC chauffeur. Both trades must also renew their card every few years through continuing training, which keeps the two professions comparable on skills even though their working rules differ.
Pickup: being hailed or being booked
The most visible difference is street hail. According to the French ecology ministry, only taxis operating under a parking authorisation may drive around looking for clients and be hailed on public roads, within the area of their licence. A taxi may also work on prior booking.
A VTC works solely on prior booking, electronic included, and must be able to prove it. It does not wait on the roadway for a client. These rules are covered in our overview of VTC regulation in France. In practice, the same car-and-driver trip can therefore be either a hailed ride or a booked one, and the legal category depends on how the client reached the driver, not on the vehicle itself.
Fares: regulated on one side, free on the other
For a taxi, fares are regulated and shown on the meter. The ministry points out that Paris has fixed airport fares. A passenger can therefore compare the fare displayed with the official rates for the area concerned.
For a VTC, Service Public states that prices are free: a flat fare set at booking, or an amount calculated after the ride from time and distance. There is thus no single official rate to compare against, which is why it helps to get the price before confirming. We give no ride prices here, since figures vary by operator and by date.
Licence, register and access to the trade
A taxi must hold a parking authorisation (ADS), commonly called a licence, tied to its vehicle. Service Public describes three routes: apply to the town hall for a free one (often a long waiting list), buy one or rent one. The purchase price ranges, as of this writing, from about 30,000 to 300,000 euros. A taxi driver must also show first-aid training under two years old, and the card is valid for the département of the exam.
A VTC has no ADS: the operator is entered on the REVTC register, the card is valid nationwide and the business rests on booking. The car carries a red sticker and no illuminated sign. Taxi licences obtained free after 1 October 2014 are valid for five years and renewable, while a VTC operator renews its register entry every five years.
Special cases: medical taxis, mobility and territory
Taxis have features that VTC services do not. So-called approved taxis carry seated patients or medical passengers under an agreement with the national health insurance, whose pricing was renewed from 1 October 2025. This healthcare activity has no VTC equivalent.
A taxi is also tied to a territory. Its card is valid for the département where the exam was passed; to work in another, the driver takes a mobility course of 14 hours (35 in Paris), within a limit of four départements. The VTC card, by contrast, is valid nationwide, yet the operator remains bound by prior booking.
Recognising your driver and choosing calmly
A taxi has an illuminated sign on the roof, a meter, a plate showing the licence number and a professional card on the windscreen. A VTC shows a red sticker with its registration and a card bearing the driver's photo. As a precaution, never follow someone who approaches you in a station or airport; a fake professional can be reported to the DGCCRF, for example through SignalConso.
For an organised trip, booking ahead with a firm quote, as IKIGAI Limousine offers, removes those uncertainties; our piece on service differences between taxi, VTC and luxury chauffeur and our VIP chauffeur service explain how. See also the VTC section. October 2026, not legal advice; IKIGAI Limousine is independent of the bodies cited.
Booking with a compliant professional
A compliant provider can be recognised by a few concrete points: professional card, register entry, sticker on the vehicle. Before booking, ask for them and check them, then insist on a written quote specifying the journey, the vehicle and the conditions.
IKIGAI Limousine issues a firm quote before any confirmation and provides flight tracking and a named greeting on request. Assistants, concierge teams and family offices can group their journeys with tailored invoicing. Discover our VIP chauffeur service, our airport transfers page or send your request through the quote form.
