The protest of taxi drivers against the Competition Decree continues: the 48-hour strike across Italy started on Tuesday, July 5 at 8 a.m. The agitation has been going on for over a week now and fears are that the shutdown could extend beyond Wednesday, July 6. Not only the lack of service, but on Tuesday 5 July the drivers surrendered appointment at Piazza della Repubblica in Rome at 10 am to start the procession of white cars that will reach Piazza Madonna di Loreto (next to Piazza Venezia), walking along viale Einaudi, piazza dei Cinquecento, via Cavour, via dei Fori Imperiali. The deadline has been set at 2 p.m.
Affected cities and timetables
Due to the demonstration in Rome, the diversion of some public transport lines in the capital is also planned (according to local sources, there are 5, 14, 16, 40, 50, 51, 60, 61, 62, 64, 66, 70 , 71, 75, 82, 85, 105, 117, 118, 170, 360, 492, 590, 649, 714, 910 and H). But major inconveniences are expected throughout the national territory, but especially in the major cities: Milan, Rome, Naples, Genoa, Turin, Bologna, where the abstinence from taxi service will be total from Tuesday, July 5, 8am to Wednesday, July 6, 7:59am. For example, the operations center of the Radio Taxi Genoa cooperative has announced that it will guarantee only the minimum “social” transport service for the elderly, the disabled and the sick. From Milan to Naples, however, the fear is that – as happened during the stops in June – many tourists remain on foot when arriving from the stations and airports. This is probably create long queues for buses, metro and trams, also for citizens. Indeed, Naples has announced that it will strengthen public transport: «In particular, 16 Alibuses will be used on the Capodichino, Central Station and Porto route. In this way, the transport capacity will double and the frequency of the races will be in the order of 5 minutes,” the municipality reports.
Why do taxi drivers protest?
On Monday, July 4, the State Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport, Teresa Bellanova, at the last minute again called on the unions to seek mediation, but without a positive result. According to parliamentary sources, meetings between the government and the majority on the Competition Bill will resume on Tuesday 5 July. In particular, Article 10 is on the table: the request of taxi drivers, supported by the Lega, is that this be torn apart as it provides for an “adaptation of the offer of services to the forms of mobility that take place through the use of web applications “, A “reduction of administrative requirements for operators of non-scheduled public bus services and rationalization of legislation on fares and shift systems”, and above all a “promotion of competition, including in licensing, to encourage higher quality standards”.
the unions
The protest front counts more than 14 associations of the taxi and rental with driver (NCC) category, namely Usb-taxi, Uti, Ugl-taxi, Unaimpresal, Fast Confsal, Satam, Tam, Claai, Unica Cgil Taxi, UilTrasporti, Uritaxi, Or .SA-Taxi, Federtaxi Cisal. “The two days of detention are confirmed and inevitable – Fit Cisl reported in a note – as the future of thousands of families is currently in grave danger.” The strike of the taxi drivers can therefore no longer be reversed. But the meeting at Mims, however, found “positive signs of openness to discussion and dialogue by Deputy Minister Bellanova, which we consider to be of fundamental importance at this delicate stage. Just as we can appreciate the ministry’s commitment and will in seeking a solution that creates consensus between operators and unions”. Fit Cisl specified that the request has not been amended and that, in this regard, “rewriting the text of Article 10, which should intercept some of the rules expected for three years to regulate the sector, the utmost requires cooperation between all interested parties and we, as a trade union involved in the discussion, will not shy away ».
The deal with Uber
According to the president of Conftrasporto-Confcommercio, Paolo Uggè, “the solution is near: it is the path that Loreno Bittarelli has charted with Uber”, referring to the agreement signed last May between Radiotaxi Roma and the rider-sharing company. , which provides aat a percentage of 6% for every journey made by booking on the 3570 taxi service app, to guarantee a higher number of calls for all members of the latter. «With that agreement, which I know well – Uggè recalled – the well-known company of Roman taxi drivers has transformed what was previously an antagonist into a commercial partner, giving the guarantee of professionalism and the authorization criteria that must remain the property of each operator. The way has already been traced, the agreement fulfilled. It would be enough to replicate it in any part of Italy ».
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Source: Corriere
I am Ruby Schultz, a journalist and author with experience in the news industry. I have worked at several top-tier publications, such as The News Dept., where I primarily cover technology news. My work has been featured in prominent outlets like The New York Times and Wired Magazine. I am passionate about exploring new technologies and implementing them into my stories to ensure an engaging narrative that captures readers’ attention.
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