Tweet from BBC correspondent in Rome prompts metropolis to take motion in opposition to “really shameful” taxi scenario.
Rome authorities have pledged to take motion in opposition to rogue taxi drivers ripping off vacationers arriving into the town’s airports, prompted by a widely-shared tweet from Mark Lowen, the BBC correspondent in Italy.
A good friend visiting Lowen was requested by a taxi driver at Fiumicino airport for €70 to journey into the centre of Rome – a visit that has a hard and fast charge of €50 – and mentioned his bank card machine was not working so he might solely take money.
Town’s tourism councillor Alessandro Onorato described the incident as “unacceptable” and careworn that the town would have reported the driving force to police if it had been potential to “pay attention to his licence quantity, registration plate or title”, studies newspaper Corriere della Sera.
“The illegality that we now have discovered within the airport areas is actually shameful” – mentioned the councillor – “A bleak state of affairs amongst fare hunters, unlawful taxis, unlawful NCCs [private chauffeurs]”.
Onorato underlined that because the begin of this 12 months there was a rise in police checks to fight the criminal activity of taxi drivers preying on vacationers, nonetheless he has pledged additional motion.
Beginning subsequent Tuesday, in collaboration with Rome’s airport administration firm AdR, a brand new service aimed toward serving to vacationers shall be launched, Onorato mentioned.
“Stewards will welcome passengers at worldwide arrivals, offering particular instructions to vacationers and collaborating with the police to report irregularities”.
