Published on : 09 July 20204 min reading time
The auto-entrepreneur regime is definitely a problem: it is around taxis to tackle it. They criticize VTCs (chauffeur cars with tourism) for over-reliance on auto-entrepreneurs. But the VTC companies that pay employees also cry out for unfair competition against VTC companies that only “sell reservations” to independent drivers.
Not only are taxis against VTCs, but the various VTC players themselves could tear each other apart: on the one hand those who employ their drivers, such as serviceprestige.fr, a long-standing player dedicated to very high-end customers, and the new ones who sell to drivers who are independent of “mass” shopping reservations: Uber, Chauffeur-Prive.com, etc.
The concern pointed out?
That the self-employed affiliated to these new generation booking platforms are mainly auto-entrepreneurs. Becoming a self-employed entrepreneur is quite simple; the result is that thousands of drivers arrive on the market quickly. Obviously, taxis don’t like it: not only does the very idea of the VTC make them block Paris, so if it’s easy enough to become one, they fear for the balance of their market. But they are not the only ones, since even some VTC companies are offended by this, such as Camille Rechard, president of the VTC federation and boss of Service-Prestige: “The real unfair competition is there; the industrialized use of the status of auto-entrepreneur creates a real distortion of competition between artisan taxis and VTCs reserved via Smartphone or Internet”.
However, it should be remembered that it is not simply a matter of registering as an auto-entrepreneur to apply for a VTC licence, it is also necessary to go through a complete 3-month training course. This often represents a significant investment, so it costs 4800 euros at EFC FORMATION.
Auto-entrepreneur and VTC: ideal just to get started
The auto-entrepreneur scheme is simple, so simple that it is not possible to deduct expenses when you pay your contributions: the calculation is based on turnover and not on profit. Except for a VTC, the costs are cumulative: mainly the rental of a high-end car and gasoline.
Auto-entrepreneur and VTC, a false problem
As we have understood, the status of auto-entrepreneur is inappropriate when one has to spend to operate. Also, over time, VTC and auto-enterprise cannot mix well, not to mention the more than reasonable ceiling for this activity: 32,900 euros per year, the limit of the amount to be collected for one calendar year.
VTC auto-entrepreneur = disguised employee?
For some critics, companies such as Private Driver would be guilty of disguised wage labour by calling on self-employed, often self-entrepreneurs. Their model is quite simple: they make their mobile booking service known to consumers and then resell their bookings to independent drivers. In exchange, the company receives a commission on the price of the trip. This is a model that taxis are familiar with. Indeed, companies like G7 or TAXIS BLUE operate in the same way: independent taxis register at home to benefit from the shopping requests they receive.
To accuse a Private Driver or Uber of disguised wage-earning is to accuse G7 or TAXIS BLEUS of the same offence… which has never been done. A refusal of the evolution of access to the company:
All this shows that everything seems to be right to blame VTCs and the companies that bring them orders quickly and simply thanks to new technologies. In reality, as everyone knows, it is not wise to remain a self-employed entrepreneur when you launch into the VTC, it is simply a simplified entry point to (finally) dare to launch yourself.