• The VTC cooperative project is still in the development phase, with currently nearly 600 registered drivers.

  • “We want to protect the future of the Labor Code, so we have to create an alternative to uberization”, explains to

    20 Minutes

    the trade unionist Brahim Ben Ali, at the origin of the project.

  • "Workers have rights, have the right to a decent salary, to a family life", comments Stéphane Troussel, the president of the department of Seine-Saint-Denis.

    The community is a member and has contributed 25,000 euros.

"Time is super important, everything has to be done in less than 15 seconds, I validate and presto", launches Brahim Ben Ali to his two accomplices, one project manager, the other lawyer.

In the premises of Master Jérôme Giusti, this Wednesday, April 20, the future of a "made in France" VTC application is taking shape.

An app created by a unionist driver who wants to offer transparent pricing to his customers.

The idea emerged in November 2019, when Brahim Ben Ali, who is not yet the general secretary of the national inter-union VTC (INV), coordinates the blocking of Uber sites in Paris and the Paris suburbs.

The battle is fierce and the trade unionist is disconnected from the platform.

Brahim Ben Ali notes a balance of power that he describes as "unbalanced", and dreams of a competing application, which would respect the rights of drivers and would not take the 25% of income that Uber punctures.

“We want to protect the future of the Labor Code, so we have to create an alternative to uberization”, explains

the trade unionist to

20 Minutes .

Certification by Afnor

In the small workroom on rue Prony, in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, ideas abound to accomplish this goal.

“There is something to play with the rental of electric or hybrid vehicles,” rebounds Jamin Rubio, project director.

“If we lower the fixed costs, we can increase the salaries of the drivers”, engages Master Gusti.

Prices and "wages", the sinews of war.

"Compared to Uber, we will not have a price range, we will be transparent about pricing," says Brahim.

The platform aims to serve individuals but also companies, by guaranteeing certification by Afnor to reassure them.

“We are reviewing the service from A to Z, and the drivers will have training,” also warns Brahim.

More than 2,000 people on the waiting list

About 600 male and female drivers have confirmed their interest in the project, which will take the form of a cooperative society of collective interest (SCIC), which makes it possible to have public partners and has a character of social utility.

Each of these drivers has already paid nearly 300 euros in pre-registration fees and will then have to pay 500 euros to have a share in the company.

The drivers will therefore all be members…

The idea appeals, since the platform in the making claims more than 2,000 people on the waiting list.

“We will open gradually, explains Brahim Ben Ali.

It's complicated to integrate new members more quickly because decisions are made by democratic vote, and [it's problematic] if drivers arrive along the way without having followed anything..."

Seine-Saint-Denis finances and supports

Such a project has not failed to attract the department of Seine-Saint-Denis, where VTC have become in recent years one of the first sectors for business creation.

The department registers nearly 16,000 VTC cards.

The community has therefore undertaken to finance the project to the tune of 25,000 euros, the maximum allowed by the statutes of the SCIC.

“Faced with the uberization of the economy, with all the forms of precariousness that this entails, it is a great response from people who organize themselves to bring commonality, and show that We can do otherwise, by developing protections.

Workers have rights, are entitled to a decent salary, to a family life”, comments Stéphane Troussel, the president of the department.

"Uberization started there, in the 93"

The elected official considers the project also "providing jobs", at a time when Seine-Saint-Denis is preparing to host major events such as the Rugby World Cup in 2023, the 2024 Olympic Games or potentially in 2028 the Capital of Culture status.

“The uberization started there, in the 93. Uber went directly to the popular neighborhoods, we had to close the loop”, abounds Brahim Ben Ali.

According to the trade unionist, a new partner has just been added very recently, Urssaf Ile-de-France, which will support the platform on training and tax monitoring, in particular.

For the moment, the "cooperative of VTC drivers" has no official name, but it won't be long, the company Nommart has been commissioned.

The official launch is scheduled for September.

The fake VTC company employed more than 150 drivers

Job

New York: VTC drivers form a cooperative to escape Uber

  • Ile-de-France

  • Hybrid bike

  • Uber

  • Mobile app

  • Driver

  • Economy

  • Paris