I'm not sure how it is in France, but in some cities a few large firms own the taxi licenses and rent them out to drivers. The people who buy them do so as an i

I'm not sure how it is in France, but in some cities a few large firms own the taxi licenses and rent them out to drivers. The people who buy them do so as an investment, speculating that because of their scarcity that the resale value will rise. Not all investments pan out. If the citizens want to bail them out they could offer to buy back the licenses.