 Poster: A snowHead
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Chamexpress, interesting comment you just made about using UK plates. I presumed you must be using all French registered vehicles. I am impressed with the details you have shared, but am not altogether convinced that you have any where near the same overheads as a Swiss or French based company. The social charges alone for employing staff are very high in both France and Switzerland as compared to a UK company so there is a certain amount of exploiting a loophole in the system going on here by most companies unless they give there drivers a French or Swiss employment contract and pay all the associated charges into the local system.
Regarding types of driving licences, I checked my licence when I got home and have unrestricted D1, plus loads of other stuff I can drive. I did my PSV 1 and HGV many years ago. Must admit I did not know it had all changed, never needed too. Some of what you have said about the new regulations are very scary. 'learn on a 30 seater and then be allowed to drive a 80 seater without any further test', if correct that is not a good idea.
I presume as you have said only some of your drivers have a D1 then others must be driving without being fully qualified or is there another exam after your basic driving test which you have not told us about which a UK driver can complete. You did say you must have an unrestricted D1 to take paying customers.
I did check with a taxis driver on the way home tonight. He siad, all Swiss and I presume French commercial drivers whether black cab or other types must have as a minimum, 'permis de conduire obligatoire pour le transport professionnel de personnes' and many of them also have 'le permis de conduire pour minibus jusqu'à un poids de 7.5 t et 16 passagers' which you say is the D1 now. They must also pay a fee to be allowed to work in Geneva area, so the charge foreign companies are asked to pay is not really that unfair.
I think at the end of the day, what I as a passenger or my friends would want is to know that the person driving us around in the winter is not some kid that is unqualified to be doing do so, with know previous experience in these dangerous conditions and that the vehicle I am in is safe.
Obviously, any UK based transfer company is able to undercut the local companies as the employment overheads are not as high. Are these companies taking away business from those in Geneva, I doubt it, but quite possibly they are doing so from those based in the resorts stations or railway heads. At the end of the day money speaks and if what the foreign transfer companies are doing is legal and cheaper for the customers then I do not see much changing. As someone said earlier, a storm in a tea cup, a bit like the other thread about ski hosts.
I just hope what is going on is legal as I do not want any of my friends to end up stuck with needing to get a local taxis to the border and then meet there minibus transfer or worse, be stopped at the border and then miss the flight because the company had not met the local legal requirements as someone else described earlier.
I know myself that the Swiss hate people that try and break their rules and will make life very difficult for all concerned. Thanks for sharing the details of your company Andrew. I hope all other companies have the same standards as you seem to have. My advice to anyone, ask the driver to show his licence before the journey to be sure you are covered re Insurance etc. If they have the correct papers they should be happy to do this. If they refuse, then I would question why not. A taxis driver in Geneva has an ID which shows he is permitted to work as a commercial driver and must carry this with them at all times. Here's hoping for more snow soon!!
bertie bassett, I drive back and forward all the time and have never heard of this either. According to the Insurance company I spoke with, you must take your car out after six months or begin the registration conversion process. That was all they told me. That seemed to apply to both Switzerland and France but it was a few years ago now.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I know myself that the Swiss hate people that try and break their rules and will make life very difficult for all concerned.
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but it sounds from what chamexpress said that the Swiss aren't sticking to their own rules - it all sounds rather Italian, especially the bit about the taxi wars. 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| shep wrote: |
| To be accurate, both articles are from a swiss paper and refer to "foreign" transfer companies, ie non-swiss (and non-french in the second). British is not mentioned. |
Maybe but if I could post the French TV news report all the shots were of British plated minibuses.
I've not had problems getting taxi drivers to go from the airport to resort but it is bloody expensive. There is such a queue of taxi drivers at GVA that some spend all day on the stand for one fare. They are more than happy to get a good run in. As for a family of 5 and their skis, they'll just want you to take 2 taxis.
As an idea Morzine is something like 500CHF if they put the meter on!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Surely the answer is TGVs from Geneva to Lyon/Bourg St Maurice 
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Boredsurfing, Not a great deal of help if you want to get to eg Chamonix?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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GVA is a pain for several reasons.
When it was built as a joint Swiss/Franco project I don't think the Swiss had, or if they did enforced, their motorway levy. Now it is prohibitive just to drive the few miles up from the French border.
Within the airport I have never used or seen directions to the French terminal - has anyone used it? None of the tour companies serving the French resorts have ever even mentioned it.
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Within the airport I have never used or seen directions to the French terminal - has anyone used it?
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There is a sign, but admittedly not very eye-catching. Yes, I've used it several times.
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None of the tour companies serving the French resorts have ever even mentioned it
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why would they? It would just be confusing if your transfer is (as most are) on the international side. The French side is really only relevant for internal French flights or for people who have entry papers for France but not for Switzerland (which used to happen occasionally but probably now doesn't happen at all).
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it is prohibitive just to drive the few miles up from the French border.
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Expensive, but hardly prohibitive (the cost of a spag bol and a couple of beers?) and you can get there fine without using the Swiss motorway if you are on a tight budget rather than a tight schedule and are not navigationally challenged. And if you have a Swiss hired car you will have the vignette and won't have to pay.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Also, Geneva is by far the most reliable airport around - the French ones are much more often hit by industrial action, "Grenoble" is miles from anywhere (including Grenoble) and at Chambery you risk disruption from weather conditions as well as industrial action. And it's hopelessly inadequate even for the present small number of flights.
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GVA is easy to do without using the motorway,as long as you know the route. I had to do it a couple of times when the TO I used would not get a vingette.
I like Chambery, It's OK atm but if they upgraded the ILS so they can land in fog it would be a winner.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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So do I. I have fond memories of starting my car (which had been parked free, yards from the terminal) within 6 minutes of touchdown and driving off in heavy rain which turned into heavy snow as I climbed into the mountains.
But it was a Tuesday......
But even on a Tuesday it's possible to find nothing to eat. And the only time I ever took a TO flight to Chambery, which would have made for a nice short transfer, our flight was diverted to Lyon. Poor weather is not that unusual in the Alps in winter. There's little or no spare capacity on Saturdays, that's for sure.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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pam w, we were once delayed at Chambery with two small very hungry children. I agree about the rapid exit from the airport though I wasn't too keen on being diverted to Geneva and sitting on the tarmac for 2 hours before returning to Chambery.
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pam w, I agree, Chambery's terminal is really too small, I was there first week of January, it was packed and this is one of the quietist weeks! I dread to think what its like during half term week!
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You know it makes sense.
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Who put the airport there did not look at the local weather, I have drove along the A43 in sunshine and an looked across the valley and that side was in fog.
I agree the facilities are poor but I rate my airports on ease of in and out, I dont plan on stopping there a second longer than needed.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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It is pretty much literally always foggy along there.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Quote: |
| I rate my airports on ease of in and out, |
Just like chalet girls then.
Chambery suffers a lot from wind shear which stops flights coming in.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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it is prohibitive just to drive the few miles up from the French border.
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Expensive, but hardly prohibitive (the cost of a spag bol and a couple of beers?)
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Blimey - I know beer prices were a bit steep over that way, but I'd hope you could get at least 2 spag bols and 2 beers for €30+ (assuming 40chf for a car, no idea what minibuses/buses have to pay)
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Replace Swiss taxis drivers by ESF and driving permits/training/competence by BASI vs French training and we have a duplicate thread..
Everyone's got it in for the poor Brits..
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I think most of the transfer companies do/are exploit many loop holes that are unavailable to native french/swiss people. They also employ methods to drive costs down that a number of people are unhappy about, but the fact remains that they are for many a necesary evil. They provide jobs for people in resort, enabling people to survive the season, and to a certain extent (highly applicable within chx) they are far more enviromentally friendly than everyone in the valley driving up and down in there own cars.
In chamonix's high season there must be something like 300/400 people a day coming in with the likes of chamexpress/alpybus/mountain drop off etc, these people have in a lot of cases chosen to come to stay in chamonix based on the fact that they can get to gva and onto chx for a price point they can stomach. Without the transfer companies i suspect a lot of these would just book a holiday with a T/O to other resorts, or not travel at all.
As someone mentioned before, i can see this whole issue blowing over and becoming chip paper.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| eddiethebus wrote: |
As someone mentioned before, i can see this whole issue blowing over and becoming chip paper. |
I'm new to the forum and came across this thread which is quite relevant to me as we started out this season running an airport transfer company. This issue has not blown over at all! Lots of minibuses have been turned away from the airport car park and there have been checks inside the airport as well as at the border.
Two weeks ago the police were called into the airport when the taxi drivers all kicked off when a transfer company (allegedly) sold a ticket/seat at the airport, which is illegal. Tensions still seem to be running high between the taxi drivers and the transfer companies!
It's also quite an unfair licence in the first place as we have to pay to pick up and drop off in geneva yet the swiss taxi drivers have no restrictions from france!
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3VVs, welcome to snowheads. Your input will be very welcome, I'm sure. Do the rules require all transfer company seats to have been pre-booked?
You can walk up to the bus desk and book though, can't you?
I was turned away from the airport car park at Christmas - with the arrivals car park out of use vehicles were queueing for the underground car park and I was waved out of the queue, for being overheight, though I suspect I wasn't (private car, Fiat Multipla, with ski bars on top). I had no option but to run through the coach area and out the other side - I drove back round and into the "departures" car park, which cost a lot of money by the time I was out of there. When I had to go to Gva subsequently I just went straight to departures.
Everything seems a bit of a muddle there at present.
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Arrivals is still shut, I was lapping that underground like a true tourist last week. Dreadful signage at Geneva, they should compensate you for using it.
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pam w, Hi, as I understand the rules all seats/tickets need to be pre-booked. There are signs in the airport above where the main transfer companies have their mobile desks to say so but I think you are correct about the bus and that can be booked on the day.
It's pretty hectic there at the moment, if you struggle to park you can always get into the p26 car park which is for the palexpo arena. It takes 5 minutes extra to walk to it but it always has spaces and costs a hell of a lot less than parking in departures.
Hopefully they will sort the car parks out before the beginning of next season, I can't see them being sorted before the end of this season.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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pam w, Last week my prebooked transfer printed "ticket" was checked by 2 security staff before i could go into the roped off transfer co area, it does state on a big sign above the desks that only pre booked allowed. as 3VVs, states. the transfer co i was with took us through the french sector and got on bus there as the swiss GVA pick ups area was mayhem apparently.
albinomountainbadger, a month ago, picking up other half and kids from GVA, i stopped with on the left side just before the arrivals carpark underground entrance for about 40 mins, it was a thursday so not that busy, no one took any notice, (i do have slightly odd plates on the car though)
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carroz, sounds as though simon whatsisnumber was very fortunate to have been able to pick up a ticket for Chamexpress on arrival at Gva. And still the man complained!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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pam w, I couldn't work out how he managed to collect either. Also the security chap didn't just glance at the ticket as most checks are, he actually read it.
on a different note...get well soon.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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thanks.
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| 3VVs wrote: |
pam w,
Hopefully they will sort the car parks out before the beginning of next season, I can't see them being sorted before the end of this season. |
I cannot see them doing anything different, it was chaos last year and the year before. It was one of the reasons I did not want to work out of France this year. GVA is the worst airport in Europe (passenger side)
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You know it makes sense.
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GVA is the worst airport in Europe (passenger side)
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Before they put the arrivals car park out of action I found it absolutely fine, and hugely easier than meeting people at, say, Heathrow. Far cheaper, too - usually a few francs. It's still easier than Heathrow. Though I only have experience of the scheduled flight areas - the charter area is a complete mystery to me.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| pam w wrote: |
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GVA is the worst airport in Europe (passenger side)
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Before they put the arrivals car park out of action I found it absolutely fine, and hugely easier than meeting people at, say, Heathrow. Far cheaper, too - usually a few francs. It's still easier than Heathrow. Though I only have experience of the scheduled flight areas - the charter area is a complete mystery to me. |
Believe me, when you are there 2 or 3 times a week for 4 months you begin to have VERY strong feeling about the place and how it's run.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Some more info on the "war"
http://www.ledauphine.com/economie-et-finance/2013/06/02/ces-taxis-qui-ne-disent-par-leur-nom
The taxi drivers strike managed to get the registrations of private cars and busses frozen but a new strike is threatened for June. Round my way you have to book several days in advance to get a taxi and prices are excessive so it seems like a market that could do with some competition.
Incidently Barroso has ordered Hollande to liberalize the taxi business (amongst several others, no news about ski instructors though).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| davidof wrote: |
| Round my way you have to book several days in advance ... |
I guess we could try that in London. Hail a cab and expect driver to say "Please stay there. I'll be back in a couple of days."
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Dwarf Vader wrote: |
Who put the airport there did not look at the local weather, I have drove along the A43 in sunshine and an looked across the valley and that side was in fog.
I agree the facilities are poor but I rate my airports on ease of in and out, I dont plan on stopping there a second longer than needed. |
Sorry but is I have drove really English. Think you mean driven.
Andy
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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anderoo, let he who is without sin...
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