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STRIKES

What to expect from Italy’s taxi strike on Tuesday

Italy's taxi drivers are set to strike for 24 hours on Tuesday, October 10th, over a new decree allowing Italian cities to issue more taxi licenses.

Taxi drivers are set to strike across Italy on Tuesday to protest a new law.
Taxi drivers are set to strike across Italy on Tuesday to protest a new law. Photo by FILIPPO MONTEFORTE / AFP.

Taxi services across Italy are likely to be harder to find than ever on Tuesday, October 10th, after unions representing taxi drivers called a nationwide 24-hour taxi strike.

It’s not yet known how many drivers will participate in the walkout, but anyone planning to use their services on Tuesday should be prepared to find alternative transportation.

Public transport services should be running as normal, following a separate 24-hour local public transport strike on Monday, October 9th.

Unions are protesting the final approval on Tuesday of a decree which will allow local authorities to issue more taxi licenses – a move intended to ease longstanding taxi shortages.

Italy’s major cities have a smaller number of taxis – and taxi licenses – available compared to cities like London and Paris, and visitors this summer reported difficulties with finding a cab.

Rome, Milan and other cities will now be allowed to increase the number of licenses available by up to 20 percent via a fast-track approvals process.

READ ALSO: Italy investigates taxi sector over long waits and payment issues

The Orsa taxi drivers’ union national secretary Rosario Galluccio told reporters the decree is “full of pitfalls and dangers,” arguing that the fact that companies are eligible to participate in the bid process “risks benefitting multinationals.”

Some Italian mayors have also criticised the law’s requirement that any municipalities wanting to take advantage of the fast-track process must forfeit the 20 percent cut they would normally receive from each license fee.

Instead, the decree provides for the entire amount of the fee (instead of the usual 80 percent) to be split between existing licence-holders.

“We are talking about several million for a city like Rome,” Rome mayor Roberto Gualtieri complained when speaking at an event last week, calling the choice “an absurd mistake”.

But Gualtieri agreed there was a pressing need for a greater number of taxis in the Italian capital.

“There has been a structural growth in tourism in Rome… and this has unbalanced the relationship between supply and demand.

“There are times and places where it is very problematic to find taxis.”

READ ALSO: Reader question: Why can’t I get an Uber in Italy?

In August, Italy’s competition watchdog said it was investigating the country’s taxi sector, which is run by a powerful lobby, following reports of long wait times and repeated refusals on the part of drivers to accept card payments.

Taxi drivers have also previously gone on strike over plans to allow car ride-hailing services such as Uber to operate in Italy.

Uber is still not allowed in Italy, though in 2022 the multinational launched a partnership with the country’s largest taxi dispatcher that means passengers can book a cab through the app.

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STRIKES

What to expect from Milan’s transport strike on Wednesday

Commuters in Milan were set to face disruption on Wednesday, June 26th, as staff at public transport company ATM planned to strike for 24 hours. 

What to expect from Milan's transport strike on Wednesday

The walkout was set to affect the normal operation of buses, trams and underground trains, but not regional or long-distance trains and taxi services.

Lines were expected to be disrupted between 8.45am and 3pm and from 6pm until the end of service, ATM announced in a press release on its website.

The Al Cobas drivers’ union said it was calling for higher wages, better contracts, and better sanitation and driver safety conditions, among other things.

READ ALSO: Key dates: The transport strikes to expect in Italy in summer 2024

“The question of wages and working conditions are a real social emergency,” the group said in a press release published to its Facebook page earlier this month.

“Between 2013 and 2023, the purchasing power of gross wages in Italy decreased by 4.5 per cent, while in the other major EU economies it grew at rates ranging from 1.1 per cent in France to 5.7 per cent in Germany.”

The walkout marks the third 24-hour strike the union has staged in the space of two months, following previous actions on May 6th and May 31st.

See ATM’s website or mobile app for the latest updates.

Keep up with the latest updates in The Local’s strike news section.

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