‘Let me just grab an Uber,’ said a woman to the receptionist inside the hotel lobby of a centrally located hotel near Piazza Navona, deep in Rome’s historic centre.
‘Are you sure about that?’, asked the clerk at the desk.
‘Why? Is that a problem?’, the woman asked with with a perplexed look on her face.
‘It’s only a problem if you want to spend a lot more money for a transfer to the airport,’ the clerk responded. ‘But why is that?’, the woman persisted. ‘Uber usually costs much less in the United States.’
The clerk started to explain, trying to be helpful that Uber just doesn’t work in Italy like it does in North America or some other places. Then, the woman said ‘Thank you for sharing that information. Yes, please, call me a taxi.’
This traveler, like so many who come to Italy didn’t know that Uber hasn’t really gained traction like it has in many other countries.
Indeed, Uber does cost less or equal to a taxi in many North American cities, but not here in Italy for a variety of reasons. In most city centres like Rome, Florence, Milan, Naples, Palermo and even smaller towns towns like Siena, Assisi and many others, there is what is known as a ZTL restricted areas where only local residents or cars with special permits are allowed in and without one, telephoto lenses will grab a picture of your license plate and fine your heavily.
Even in Rome or Florence, depending on what area of the city you are from, even if you are a resident of Rome, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you can access by car other areas of the city where most of the hotels are located unless a permit is granted by the cities.
Local taxis and approved transportation companies are of course exempt, but Uber drivers are not and many of the cities throughout Italy have banned the service for safety reasons.
Italy’s transportation minister has made it very difficult for Uber to operate due to various municipal laws which require public transport drivers to have a very strict license to protect the safety of guests. No doubt, it is a very important rule to have in place, given the dangers of the Italian road system, which in certain areas can pose significant hazards to inexperienced drivers, particularly in areas like the Cinque Terre national park or Amalfi Coast where most drivers undergo heavy exams.
It’s not safety concerns alone which have made Uber more expensive and less accessible here in Italy. It’s the fact that the approved Uber drivers are actually some of the most qualified and experienced drivers with their own luxury car services, known as NCC services ‘ Noleggio Con Conducente’ which essentially means Chauffeur Driven Car Services.
These are the drivers with the access passes, fully insured and approved by the Italian Government and they are often the ones doing the Uber Services, many of them the most expensive in Italy!
When you book through Uber, Uber takes a cut of the driver’s wage and so the driver usually raise their prices which are passed onto the customer who thinks that Uber is the less expensive option here in Italy, when in reality, they are often paying much, much higher prices than they can get through other services (including ours).
Going direct to guides and drivers (like us), where we own our own vehicles, have excellent English speaking drivers and know the lay of the land here in Italy with specialists in all 21 regions of the country, has a lot of perks as well as cost savings.
Even if it’s not us, find a driver direct in that territory or book a local taxi from your hotel.
It’s not only where you go in Italy, but who you know. Save time and money by going with with a local expert who will give you an entirely new experience and great insight into Italy!
Get in touch with us to learn more about how we can help you.
Write today to: team@italyvacationspecialists.com
Your Drivers in Italy,
Samuele, Giovanni, Claudio, Adrian, Alfio, Salvatore, Giuseppe x 3, Jessica & Team!
