French national railway company SNCF announced this week that it would soon offer its own fleet of electric taxis at train stations in Paris to slash waiting time for travellers and reinforce its image as a leader in green transportation. Anyone who has staggered out of the Eurostar or a train from the south arriving at the Gare de Lyon will know only too well that waits – especially at peak travel times – can be as long as 45 minutes. SNCF has purchased 200 taxi licenses at a total cost of 30 million euros in order to acquire its own fleet of 100 percent electric taxis.
The vehicles, which will be rented to independent drivers, will be coordinated through a reservations hub which will help connect both inbound and outbound travellers with taxis.
In a related move, SNCF will offer from next year an experimental train plus car rental deal out of Strasbourg and Rennes featuring the forthcoming electric Bolloré Blue Car.
via Le Parisien
