Taxi in Rome

What you need to know about taxis in Rome? How much is? Are taxi drivers cheating?

Important: This article is not intended to scare you or dissuade you from using a taxi in Rome (public transport is even more fun), my task is to talk about the pros and cons - warned means armed.

Today, we will put all the “dots over and”, reveal all the tricks and tricks that an ordinary tourist may encounter, especially without knowledge of the Italian language and the peculiarities of the Italian mentality.

Five facts about Roman taxi drivers that come in handy:

1. Italians are the best sellers in the worldpersuade you to anything. Someone else is always to blame.
2. Many Italians can speak or understand you. in English or Spanish, and even Russian, if it suits them. They may also “turn on the fool” with fixed prices from airports and forget all languages ​​of the world in general.
3. You need to get in a taxi only at official parking lots, or call by phone (costs more). Taxi drivers stop very rarely in the streets with a wave of their hands.
4. There is practically no bombing in Rome, since a special permit is required to enter a large part of the historic city center. This also needs to be considered for those who are going to rent a car in Rome.
5. Honest taxi drivers in Rome exist, but their smaller half - any local will confirm this.

Quote to topic: “What an unbearable people! He came and is angry that in Rome there are unclean streets, there are no absolutely entertainments, there are a lot of monks, and he repeats phrases confirmed in the last century from calendars and old almanacs, that the Italians are scoundrels, liars and stuff… »
Gogol's letter to Balabina in April 1838 from the article Rome in Gogol's letters.

What does an official taxi look like?

All city taxis in Rome are white, usually cars of the level of many Toyota Auris hybrids.

Black Mercedes E-class or Vito and Viano minivans are the highest league of licensed taxi drivers (private drivers) who deal only with transfers booked in advance - you cannot catch them on the street. Front and rear of such cars you will see the inscription N.C.C.

Laws, rules, tariffs

At each official taxi drivers parking lot you will see this sign:

• When boarding in a taxi during the day at the official parking lot, 3 euros should burn on the meter. From 22:00 to 6:00 in the morning - 6.5 euros. On Sundays and public holidays from 22:00 to 6:00 in the morning - 4.5 euros;
• When traveling from Fiumicino and Ciampino airports, there are fixed prices of 48 and 30 euros - they are written on the door of each car. Extra charge for each baggage after 1 bag = 1 euro;
• The fixed surcharge for a taxi call is 3.5 euros.
• A trip to the port of Civitavecchia from Rome or Fiumicino Airport costs 120 euros.
• Taxis are beneficial for short distancesbecause after 11 euros on the meter (after about 5-7 km depending on the time of day) the taximeter switches to the T2 tariff (1.3 euros / km), and after 13 euros to the TK tariff (1.6 euros / km) until the end of the trip.

In practice, especially with Ciampino, taxi drivers don’t really want to drive you for 30 euros, since in fact it’s even further than Fiumicino and it takes about an hour to get there, there are traffic jams. If your hotel is within the walls of Aurelian, you can (must) insist on a specific fixed price and pay it - I personally had to repeatedly show the driver a map and prove that we are inside the walls. If the taxi driver says we’ll go by the counter, and you are sure that the hotel is in the zone of Aurelian’s walls - do not get fooled!

• Attention: No trip inside the commune of Rome, including from the airport, can cost more than 70 euros

All the rules and prices can be downloaded to your phone in PDF format before the trip, especially when traveling from the airports of Ciampino and Fiumicino, you will need to know the exact boundaries of the walls of Aurelian - you can download the map with the borders here. Look at the map where your hotel is located in Rome.

Articles that will come in handy for orientation in Rome:

Tips

1. If you are traveling on a route with a fixed distance and cost, be sure to check before boarding a car - how much will the trip cost?
2. If you think that the taxi driver has deceived you, do not be afraid to defend your position and call the police (we call the Carabinieri 112) - she will always be on your side. Drove drivers often delight us in the news with various jokes, so that the police will roughly understand the essence of your claims. In the worst case, even if you are mistaken, no one will arrest or fine you. At best, defend your hard-earned euros and get the first invaluable experience in resolving issues with Italians.Usually, the threat to call the Carabinieri at 112 is enough to cool the ardor. Yes, you will get in your direction thousands of curses in Italian, but you still do not understand, then approx.
3. In a controversial situation, save the check, you have the right to file a complaint about the work of any taxi driver in the commune of Rome, to download the complaint form in English, select Modulo reclamo taxi inglese
4. When traveling to the airport it is much more profitable, reliable, calmer, more comfortable to book a transfer in advance with a trusted company. The last three years I have been using it personally and recommend to all my friends the most reliable and decent Italian in the world - Sergio. Prices are the same as by taxi (but in fact cheaper), only you are greeted with a sign at the airport, help with luggage, carefully delivered to the hotel in a comfortable Mercedes E class no surprises (even outside the walls of Aurelian) and surcharges at a fixed price of 50 euros from Fiumicino.
   Sergio website in Russian: ru.rome4.us

Useful articles:

And the most important! If someone let you down, you are late, you deceived, do not be discouraged, we simply say THIS ITALY in such people. Look at everything positively, love it for what it is, and do not pay attention to trifles. Everything will be fine.

Have you had a positive / negative experience using taxi services in Rome? Share it in the comments with all readers.

Watch the video: Rome: How To take a Taxi in Rome (April 2024).