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Summary of our market study
French VTC market estimated at €1.3 billion in 2023
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the VTC market was worth between €750 and €850 million.
The global VTC market is estimated at between $180 and $200 billion.
There are around 50,000 VTC drivers in France and over 62,000 cabs.
Île-de-France accounts for 80% of total VTC activity.
The 25-34 age group uses these services around two and a half times more than the general population. 30% of 18- to 24-year-olds use Uber services regularly, compared with 20% of 25- to 34-year-olds.
The average cost of a VTC trip is around 20 euros, slightly less than the average cab fare (22 euros). Around 80% of this cost is charged to the driver. The minimum price of a VTC trip in 2023 is €7.65.
Uber is paid with 25% of expenses, and other competitors like Heetch only take around 15%.
VTC (chauffeur-driven car) market players
- Uber: the world's leading provider of VTC services
- FreeNow (formerly Kapten): Daimler Group's European challenger Initially created under the name Chauffeur Privé, then renamed Kapten
- Heetch: Born in 2013, Heetch targets a younger population.
- LeCab: Its acquisition by SnapCar in 2019 marks a strategic consolidation in the sector.
- Bolt, Allocab and Marcel
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Definition and scope of study
The term VTC stands for "Voiture de Transport avec Chauffeur" and refers to " operators who make one or more chauffeur-driven transport vehicles available to their customers, under conditions agreed in advance between the parties " (Article L 3122-1 of the French Transport Code).
Previously, the profession was called "Exploitation de voitures de tourisme avec chauffeur", but it changed its name following the Thévenoud law in 2014. It is part of the "Transport public particulier de personnes" (TPPP or T3P) segment.
VTCs offer services similar to those of cabs, enabling customers to travel from point A to point B in a car driven by a driver ; the differences between the two services lie in the status of the driver, the pricing of journeys, comfort or even the conditions under which the customer is picked up.
The VTC sector is very recent in France: the first mobile applications to put VTC drivers in contact with customers appeared in December 2011, notably with Uber France, the French subsidiary of the American company Uber. The arrival of these platforms in France has completely disrupted the transport market, particularly in major cities where cabs previously had a monopoly on T3P.
On a global scale, the average annual growth rate is +13.3%, with VTC sales expected to exceed US$160 billion by 2024. [Market Insights] France saw growth in its VTC business between 2016 and 2021. While the Covid19 crisis impacted this growth in 2020 and 2021, household consumption of cabs and VTCs has recovered and exceeded its pre-crisis level since 2022, and has been growing ever since, with growth of 57% between 2021 and 2024.
There are two areas of concern in the sector, which could lead to changes in the future: the difference in status between cabs and VTCs (which regulations are gradually attempting to regulate) and the social protection of self-employed workers on collaborative platforms.
Last but not least, the trend in VTC offerings is towards multimodality (with the recent integration of Taxi services and the rental of scooters and bicycles) and greener vehicles.
1.2 A growing global market
The global VTC market is estimated at uS$***.** billion in **** and is expected to grow at a CAGR of +**.*% over the period ****-**** to reach $***.** billion in ****. In ****, Market resaerch estimates that this corresponds to ** million VTC trips made every day.
The VTC market is booming, particularly among the younger generation. ...
1.3 Before the Covid-19 crisis, bright growth prospects in France
The market for passenger transport by cab:
According toInsee, code **.**Z entitled "Transport of passengers by cab" includes :
Passenger transport by cab, including central reservation services Non-medical transport of people with reduced mobility Radio cabs Passenger transport by motorcycle cabs Private car rental with driver
VTC drivers are also included in ...
1.4 The impact of the Covid-19 crisis
The graph below shows the trend in sales of passenger transport services provided by cabs. Although most VTCs are not registered under this NAF code, the activity is similar, which makes it possible to estimate the very negative impact of the Covid-** crisis on the sector. We note that the impact ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 VTC consumption
From **** to ****, household consumption of Taxis and VTCs rose by **%, demonstrating French interest in this service. This growth was impacted by the covid** crisis, resulting in a **% loss of household consumption in this segment. In ****, household consumption of cabs will regain ground, but will still be *.* points below its pre-crisis ...
2.2 Application features
VTC services preferred by the French
The graph below is based on OpinionWay's survey of French people's favorite brands in March ****. These are respondents' answers to the question "Do you like this or that VTC company?" for each brand, with the percentage corresponding to the proportion of respondents who answered "yes". ...
2.4 The rise of shared shopping with other users
Uber offers this solution with UberPool, which returned in **** under the name UberXShare after a hiatus due to the health crisis.
A YouGov survey shows that **% of French people are interested in this solution - i.e., a shared cab service where several different people can take the same cab together, ...
2.5 Focus on VTC demand at night
Although VTCs are not the most popular means of transport for Parisians going home at night, they are well placed (***).
Modes of transport used by Ile-de-France women to go home at night France, ****, in Source: ****
Part of the demand for VTCs concerns night-time journeys. Ease of use (***) are the main reasons ...
2.5 What image and what use for VTC drivers and cabs?
Fake driver scandals
In recent years, the VTC platforms Uber, Bolt, Freenow, etc. have come under fire on social networks, particularly following incidents of assault by Uber drivers. These include women who have been sexually assaulted. In ****, a study published by Harris revealed that **% of women using Uber had already experienced ...
3 Market structure
3.1 A growing number of VTC operators
By the end of ****, there will be more than ***,*** TPPP vehicles, up **% on ****. The share of VTCs in the total number of TPPP vehicles continues to grow. In ****, **% of all such vehicles were cabs and **% VTCs; the following year, **% were cabs and **% VTCs. [***] In ****, **% of active T*P drivers will be ...
3.2 Strong regional inequalities: most activity concentrated in the Paris Region
According to the BCG report, Ile-de-France accounted for **% of the VTC industry's activity in ****, representing *** million in sales that year. Estimated at **% in ****, the VTC sector in Ile-de-France will now account for **% of total activity in **** [***]
Number of Parisian VTCs and cabs Ile-de-France, end ****, in thousands Source: ****
Although the Ile-de-France region's ...
3.3 Increased competition in this market
The VTC sector is facing increased competition of three types:
With traditional cabs Between VTC services With other alternative modes of transport.
VTC/taxi competition
Since the emergence of VTCs in France, they have been competing with traditional cabs, raising a problem relating to the different legislation governing the two professions. ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 Panel of leading VTC platforms
VTC platforms all operate on the same model: the VTC driver is connected to the customer via a smartphone application linked to an algorithm that assigns each journey to the VTC closest to the customer using a geolocation system, minimizing waiting time for customers and time spent driving without customers for ...
4.2 Competitive prices
VTC fare
In ****, the minimum price of a VTC journey will rise to €* excluding commission, and drivers will receive a minimum income of €** per hour worked. [***] The price of a trip depends on location, distance and traffic.
The average price of a VTC journey is €**, compared with €** for a cab. The ...
4.3 A sector in constant innovation
The VTC market offers excellent growth prospects in France over the coming years. It's a buoyant market that offers many opportunities for innovation and diversification.
Feminization of the sector
The VTC sector is very male-dominated : today, **% of VTC drivers are men. [***] Women are partly reluctant to become drivers because of the ...
5 Regulations
5.1 VTC regulations
VTC regulations have evolved considerably since ****, in particular to better distinguish the respective areas of activity of cabs and VTCs. [***]
december **, ****: order concerning the minimum length imposed on VTCs (***); december **, ****: decree requiring all VTCs to have a minimum net engine power; december **, ****: decree imposing a minimum delay of ** minutes between booking ...
5.2 Regulations governing VTC drivers
The Grandguillaume law
The Grandguillaume law, which came into force on January*, ****, has considerably modified the conditions of access to the VTC driver profession.
In particular, it prohibited VTC drivers with LOTI status from working for VTC platforms. LOTI (***) status, created in ****, allows drivers to work without specific theoretical training. Drivers ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
- Uber France
- Kapten France - Free Now
- Heetch
- LeCab
- BlaBlaCar
- Getaround (Ex drivy)
List of charts presented in this market study
- VTC market size by value and forecasts
- Growth in passenger cab sales
- Use of VTC services by age group
- Growth in household consumption of cabs and VTCs
- Inflation trend
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Latest news
LeCab buys French competitor Marcel - 03/06/2024
- - This acquisition positions LeCab as a French alternative to Uber and cabs.
- - Number of drivers: 18,000 drivers.
- - Number of users: Over one million users.
- - Number of cities covered: 65 cities.
- - Year LeCab was founded: 2012.
- - Year Marcel was founded: 2014.
- - Specific target of the LeCab platform: Business travelers.
BlaBlaCar, welcome to adults - 28/05/2024
- age of BlaBlaCar: 18 years old
- - Number of employees: 800 worldwide
- - Valuation: $2 billion
- - Sales in 2019: €130 million
- - Sales in 2023: €230 million
- - Number of subscribers: over 100 million
BlaBlaCar, the profitable teenager at last - 04/04/2024
- Year of foundation: 2006
- Sales 2023: 253 million euros
- Year-on-year sales growth: 29
- Sales in 2019: 130 million euros
- Passengers in 2023: 80 million (+23%)
- Leading market in terms of routes: Brazil
- Journey target for 2024: 10 million in the home-work car-sharing sector
- Number of employees: 800
BlaBlaCar to double revenues by 2022 - 06/07/2023
- BlaBlaCar sales in 2022: 197 million euros, in 2021: 100 million euros, in 2019: 130 million euros, in 2020: 80 million euros
- Organic growth target for 2023: 30%
- BlaBlaCar's sales represent around 20% of its total sales volume
- Offer available in 22 countries
- Number of bus operators integrated into the BlaBlaCar platform: over 4,000
- Growth rate in emerging markets such as Mexico, Brazil and India: between 50% and 100%
- Share of buses in total BlaBlaCar passengers worldwide: 20%
- Bus share of BlaBlaCar passengers in France: 35%.
Uberteens, Uber extends its reach into services - 22/05/2023
- "Uber Teens", a VTC ride-hailing service for 13-17 year-olds traveling alone.
- The service will open in a dozen U.S. cities and in Canada.
- Launch of a "family" profile for Uber Eats worldwide and for Uber in France.
BlaBlaCar acquires Klaxit to develop short-distance carpooling - 11/04/2023
- Acquisition of Klaxit by BlaBlaCar
- In 2017, BlaBlaCar launched a dedicated home-to-work service (BlaBlaLines, which later became BlaBlaCar Daily)
- Klaxit works with around 50 local authorities and 350 businesses and claims to be profitable.
- In 2022, more than 2.6 million journeys were made via the Klaxit platform.
- In February 2023, short-distance car-sharing reached a record level (814,000 journeys)
- The government has launched a €150 million "car-sharing plan" for 2023
- The aim is for around 3 million journeys a day to be made by carpooling by 2027.
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the VTC market | France
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