French police in riot gear used tear gas as French taxi drivers stepped up protests against US online ridesharing service UberPOP today, blocking road access to airports and train stations in Paris and other cities.

Aeroports de Paris, the operator of the French capital's Charles de Gaulle (CDG) and Orly airports, warned travelers to take local train services because of the taxi protest.

"Access by road is completely blocked," the company said on its website. "The only way to get to CDG is (by train)."

French media showed images of burning tires blocking part of the ring road around central Paris, as well as scuffles between protesting cabbies and other drivers, while police in riot gear at one point intervened using tear gas.

Taxi drivers also blocked access to Paris' Gare du Nord train station, from where the high-speed Eurostar and Thalys services run to London and Brussels.

Cabbies set up barriers around Marseilles and Aix-en-Provence in southeast France, including at key motorway exits, and blocked access to train stations in the two cities. They were also protesting on the main access to Marseilles-Provence airport.

Uber, which links drivers with passengers through a smartphone app, has been expanding its UberPOP service in French cities, provoking anger from taxi drivers who see it as unfair competition.

Buenos Aires Herald