Rome, having waited for 18 long years, is about to see a massive influx of taxis, according to the city’s mayor’s announcement on Friday. This move aims to tackle the enduring taxi drought that has left both local residents and tourists stuck in the city’s sun-bathed streets.
Rome, as well as other Italian cities, has far fewer taxis compared to various other European cities, due, in part, to the influential taxi lobby’s resistance to fully accept the rise of ride-hailing services, like Uber, or to increase the number of taxis. However, Rome’s Mayor Roberto Gualtieri revealed that his office would soon release bids for 1,000 new taxi licenses and 2,000 new Uber permits that will be in effect by December.
With over 30 million pilgrims expected to visit Rome next year, according to the Vatican’s predictions, the availability of these new services should help relieve pressure on the city’s already stretched services. “The bureaucracy has caused stagnation, but we’re pushing through. We anticipate a major improvement by November,” declared Mr Gualtieri.
Currently, Rome houses only approximately 7,800 taxis and hasn’t released any new licenses since 2006. There are an additional 1,000 high-quality private hire vehicles, doubling as luxury Uber cars. In comparison, London boasts about 19,000 taxis and 96,000 private hire vehicles as per 2020 data, and Paris has around 18,500 taxis and over 30,000 licenses for private hire cars.
People often share on social media their experiences of waiting for over an hour for a taxi at Rome’s main train station, as taxi applications during peak times struggle to locate available cars, leaving call-in taxi services on unending hold.
Taxi driver unions argue that the main issue lies in Rome’s inconsistent public transport system, which leaves them to cover the deficit. They further claim that there would be insufficient work if more licenses were issued outside the prime tourist season.
Despite protestations from taxi drivers, Mr Gualtieri’s office will proceed with new licensing. He stated, “We can no longer hold off.”
Under current Italian legislation, taxi drivers are compensated 80% of the profits from new license sales, as their own license values, which are transferrable, could potentially drop with the influx of new drivers.
Officials anticipate that each new license will be sold for approximately €70,000.
Drawing on the statement of Eugenio Patane, the mobility chief at Rome’s city hall, the challenges plaguing the taxi sector cannot simply be resolved by an increased number of cabs on the road. Patane asserts a nationwide review and revamp of the existing laws concerning taxis is needed. The existing regulations, introduced in the pre-smartphone year of 1992, do not reflect the current era of smartphone apps. – Sources from Reuters
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