Alternative Transportation in Italy Due to the Taxi Strike

I’ve never been a big fan of taxis. The few times I’ve had no other option but to ride in one I’ve resigned myself to feeling like I’m getting suckered. I know taxi drivers are people too, and they have families to support and all that. But experience in the school-of-hard-knocks has jaded me a bit. The best advice “out there” is to ask what the fare will be in advance or at the very least make sure the taxi is metered. Come to think of it, after years living over seas I’ve seen very few taxi’s with meters that actually work, and even if the fare is established before you step inside the taxi; you just never know how realistic the fare you’re being quoted actually is. I’ve had much more luck in hotels - asking the concierge to call a taxi in advance and having him or her ask what the price will be.

Taking all that into consideration, it did not surprise me one bit when taxi drivers in Italy went on strike in late June. They didn’t just strike in Rome and Milan; they came to halt in virtually every major city in Italy and quite a few minor ones as well. The bone of contention? The laws that dictate getting a license to drive a taxi and be an “independent operator” are on the verge of being passed, and this can create a lot of “unfair competition”. I don’t necessarily look at it as unfair competition; rather it’s the establishment of a “free market” where independent taxi drivers can name their own price. This is obviously upsetting quite a few cab operators in Italy’s taxi union. And it also shines a spotlight on just how crooked some taxi drivers can be.

Like a lot of things, you never really know how much you rely on a cab until you actually need one.