French VTC Driver Passenger Welcome Booklet

Under Article R. 3122-4 of the Code des transports (Decree no. 2014-1725 of 30 December 2014), the booklet must include: the driver's full name and VTC professional card number (issued by the regional prefect), the operator's company name and SIRET number, the vehicle's registration plate and category, a complete fare schedule (base charge, per-kilometre rate, waiting time, all surcharges), and the contact details of a CECMC-approved consumer mediator. Any omission constitutes an offence liable to an on-the-spot fine during a DREAL (regional road enforcement authority) inspection.

The booklet must be made available before the journey starts, in line with the prior-pricing transparency requirement under Article L. 3122-3 of the Code des transports. Since pre-booking is itself mandatory for VTC services (Article L. 3122-2), operators typically send the booklet at booking confirmation via email or in-app notification. The operator must retain timestamped proof of delivery to satisfy any audit by the DREAL or the DGCCRF (France's consumer and competition authority).

A missing or incomplete booklet is a fourth-class offence (contravention de 4e classe): a fine of up to €750 under Article R. 3124-9 of the Code des transports. Re-offending within one year (Article 132-11 of the Code pénal) can double the penalty. Beyond fines, the operator risks suspension or withdrawal of their operating licence by the regional prefect under Article L. 3124-1. A DREAL enforcement officer can issue the fine during a routine roadside check.

Yes. The complete fare schedule — base pick-up charge, per-kilometre rate, hourly waiting rate, and all surcharges (airport, oversized luggage, night rides after 22:00) — must appear in the booklet. Since the loi Grandguillaume (Law no. 2016-1920 of 29 December 2016), operators must also communicate the estimated total fare before booking confirmation, and the booklet is the reference document for that obligation. VTC operators in Île-de-France must also comply with any additional rules set by Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM).

Yes. French law does not mandate a paper format. A PDF sent by email, a dedicated page in a booking app, or a tablet display in the vehicle all meet the requirement, provided the passenger can access the document before departure. The operator must, however, retain proof of delivery — a send timestamp or digital acknowledgement — in case of a DREAL inspection.

The booklet must include the full contact details of a consumer mediator approved by the CECMC (Commission d'évaluation et de contrôle de la médiation de la consommation — France's mediation oversight body), as required by Article L. 612-1 of the Code de la consommation. If no sector-specific mediator is available, a general body such as Médiation Tourisme et Voyage may be used. Omitting this clause exposes the operator to an administrative fine of up to €3,000 for a natural person under Article L. 616-1, separate from any transport-code penalties.