On top of the usual numbers of visitors, the Italian capital is expecting millions of pilgrims for the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee celebrations.
But Rome’s Mayor Roberto Gualtieri says there are not enough taxis to cope.
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But Rome’s Mayor Roberto Gualtieri says there are not enough taxis to cope.
Read more
https://tinyurl.com/53nxbzx5
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NewsTranscript
00:00If there's one thing that the Italian capital isn't short of, it's cars.
00:07But trying to find a taxi can remind you of Rome's nickname, the Eternal City,
00:13and not because of its ancient history, but due to the long wait.
00:17To try to solve the problem, local authorities are in the process of issuing 1,000 new taxi licenses.
00:24Riccardo, who's been driving a cab since the late 90s, thinks they're moving too fast.
00:29It's a few too many licenses. I would have given out fewer.
00:35Back in my day, they only gave out 500.
00:38Even so, it's part of the evolution of the taxi sector.
00:42There's a need for more transport because the city's getting bigger.
00:45The Italian capital currently has just under 8,000 cabs in service.
00:50That's less than half the number in London or Paris.
00:54I'm just outside the main train station in central Rome, Termini Station,
00:58and this is a pretty common sight during the summers here in the Italian capital.
01:02You've got a long line of people waiting for a taxi, many of them tourists who've just arrived on the train,
01:08carrying lots of luggage, and they're having to wait for a taxi in the hot sun without any shade.
01:14Powerful taxi unions have spent years fighting against ride-sharing apps,
01:19with only the most expensive options currently available on Uber.
01:24Local transport officials say there now needs to be a national debate about the taxi sector as a whole.
01:33We have a national law regulating this type of public transport, so taxis and town cars,
01:39which dates back to 1992, to an era before smartphones.
01:44What we need today is a general reform that's up to date and can regulate the future,
01:49because reality has changed a lot since 1992.
01:57Critics of the local authorities say Rome's limited public transport network
02:01puts too much pressure on cars and taxis.
02:04The metro is being expanded, but digging new lines in a city sitting on thousands of years of history,
02:11well, that takes time, and that's a resource that's in short supply right now.
02:16In less than three months, millions of pilgrims will start arriving for the Catholic Church's Jubilee celebrations.
02:23Giles Gibson for CGTN, Rome.