Taxis at Bourg-Saint-Maurice

Some questions can only be truly answered by on-the-ground knowlege. 

And there's a question that skiers had asked which had me curious: 

Do you absolutely need to book a taxi from Bourg-Saint-Maurice in advance? Or if you don't book in advance, is it still possible to get a taxi when you arrive at the station? 

In January, on my way back from a journey to review the Travelski Night Express, I spoke to taxi drivers at Bourg-Saint-Maurice. Bourg-Saint-Maurice is the terminus train station for one of the popular train routes to the French Alps, and serves many popular resorts, including Les Arcs, Tignes, Val d'Isere, La Rosiere and Sainte Foy. 

Right outside the train station is the bus station and the areas where taxis wait and pick up skiers. 

I approached a group of taxi drivers and asked them the following: "If a skier or group of skiers hasn't booked in advance and has just arrived by train, would there be taxis waiting at the taxi rank that they could take?"

The answer was a definite yes, but with one qualifier: if it's a very busy date such as New Year or February half term, it's likely that there would still be taxis but it would definitely be advisable to book in advance. For other dates, although it's reassuring to book in advance, you could definitely just find a taxi at the station. 

Is there a difference in price for booking in advance versus just picking up a taxi at the station? The drivers showed me the prices and compared to book-in-advance prices, there was no real difference. They still work on the same tarifs. 

The way in which just picking up a taxi at the station could be advantageous financiall is for small groups of skiers (a single / couple / group of three) who might want to find other skiers at the station who who are going to the same ski resort and have room in the taxi.  This could save everyone money and also is good use of resources (why do two taxis need to go to the same place if one shared one can do the job). 

Sharing is something skiers need to arrange with each other, this isn't something that the taxi drivers organise. But it's a possiblity at least. 

For each ski resort on Snowcarbon, we have a transfer page that lists taxis that serve that resort. But if you can't find a taxi to book in advance or would just prefer to book one at Bourg-Sainte-Maurice, now you know you can. 

I'm pretty sure that this would apply at nearby Moutiers-Salins station too. And certainly at stations in towns such as Annecy and Grenoble.