The last famous person to complain about taxis in Rome on social media was Nancy Brilli. A photo on Instagram, in slippers, pink high heels and the unmistakable scream: “Taxi, where are you?” The actress’ funny photo sparked protests from many colleagues in the entertainment industry in recent weeks Alba Parietti To Luca Argentero – However, it expresses a concern that does not only concern the so-called “VIPs”: there can still easily be queues of customers at the stands. Even trying to call a driver to call him no longer seems to help: you risk waiting in line – turn on in the background – even dozens of minutes.
In Rome, the administration believes there are too few white cars and there are plans to increase the number of driving licenses. But this week the main suspect for the capital’s taxi shortage appears to be the Ryder Cup, the prestigious golf tournament held at Marco Simone in the municipality of Guidonia on Tiburtina. The unions, for example, are convinced of this: “The 250,000 presence in Rome for the Ryder Cup now absorbs a part of the service that is already in difficulty due to the 120 construction sites for the anniversary, a public mobility that brings disruptions on a daily basis.” unprecedented tourist boom,” says Ugl Taxi secretary Alessandro Genovese.
That the Ryder Cup could be the reason for the “low” number of taxis is a hypothesis that is not ruled out by the Rome Mobility Department, which just a few days ago, together with the Council, approved a series of special tariffs for the week of the tournament, among others on September 25th and October 1st, precisely with the aim of “ensuring a correct and efficient mobility strategy through the taxi service”. The taxi driver receives 75 euros for the journey to and from the Aurelian Wall in Marco Simone; Taximeter tariff, but with a guaranteed minimum price of 35 euros, instead for trips from outside the walls to Marco Simone and vice versa.
In short, it could be a similar phenomenon that usually happens to and from Fiumicino airport: the driver chooses to focus on a more profitable and safer route compared to the micro routes in the city. The result, however, is that it is becoming more difficult to find a car in the city.
One of the solutions that the Gualtieri government has already announced is to increase licenses, especially in view of the anniversary, when the influx of pilgrims to the capital will be massive. A decisive support came yesterday from Parliament: “With the rules approved yesterday by the Senate in the Property Decree, unprecedentedly favorable conditions are created for the granting of new licenses by municipalities – the Minister of Economy and Made in Italy recalled today Adolfo Urso – We all have it Procedure simplified, also to improve the work of taxi drivers: access to the second driving license and the issuance of temporary driving licenses will be easier.” In particular, he continued: “We have created a fast path with exceptional competitions for up to 20% more licenses, which the Municipalities can implement this without having to obtain further opinions, apart from the price congruence.” from the transport authority according to the principle of tacit consent in just 15 days.
There are around 7,800 white cars in Rome: 20% are around 1,500 cars. “The average speed of a taxi in Rome is 12 kilometers per hour,” recalls the secretary of Ugl Taxi Genovese, “which does not allow us to carry out the work as we would like and as would be right for our customers. In Rome they would like it. “More taxis, yes, but ‘flying’ ones.”
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