"Taxi or private hire, it's the same thing, isn't it?" That's the question I hear most often. The answer is no, and the difference can genuinely matter depending on what you need, especially for a health trip or a last-minute departure. Let's keep it simple.
A taxi can pick you up straight away, in the street, at a rank, or on a simple phone call. This is what's called street hailing: only a taxi is allowed to do it. A private hire car (VTC), on the other hand, must always be booked in advance. In practice, if your private hire lets you down and you're in a rush, it's a taxi you can call in an emergency.
This is the most important difference. Only a registered taxi can provide seated patient transport on a transport prescription: dialysis, chemotherapy, hospital stays. A private hire car is not authorised to do this and is not insured for it. If you have regular health trips, a registered taxi is the only serious option.
Taxi fares are regulated by prefectoral order: the pick-up charge, the price per kilometre, the waiting rate. The meter cannot go above this ceiling, a guarantee for you. Private hire cars set their prices freely, and these can climb sharply at peak demand. To get an idea of the cost of a taxi ride, you can use our fare estimator.
A local taxi knows its area inside out: the best routes depending on the time of day, the access points to the hospitals and clinics. That's invaluable for a very early airport departure or an appointment you can't afford to miss.
In every case, for your trips in the Eure, I am easy to reach by phone, in advance or as a last-minute solution.