Cultural differences: taxis in Rome and how they work

Our latest posts on Italian/Roman cultural differences have drawn some attention, and a few of you have reached out asking to explain, “once and for all”, how taxis work when you’re on holiday here.

Can you flag them down? What number should you be calling to book one? How can you recognize an unofficial taxi? It’s confusing, we know.

And while we are going to answer these and other questions, we just want to invite to keep an open mind when using one. Some behaviors by taxi drivers are akin to a scam, yes, and they need to be discussed and warned about, but some are definitely not – and crying scam when you don’t understand something or it doesn’t work like you’re used to… Is not fair. So this post’s aim is to clear some of these misunderstandings!

Important note: for the sake of comprehensiveness, we will only write about taxis in Rome, not Uber or other limo services. Expect something specific and updated on Uber in the nearby future, though!

With that out of the way, let’s get to it: how to use taxis in Rome?

How to recognize an official taxi in Rome

First off, taxis in Rome come in just one color: white. They’re not black (that is reserved for limo services), they’re certainly not yellow. As you can see in the picture above, they tend to have the same characteristics of taxis the world over (eg. a taxi sign on the hood of the car). Plus, in Rome, always look for the following:

• A sign on both sides of the car with the ID for the taxi, followed by the logo of the company they belong to. The taxi ID is always the name of an Italian city followed by a two-digit number. The company they belong to is also a number: it’s always preceded by “06” and followed by a four-digit number. For example, 063570, 068822, 065551, 066645. These are actual companies and also actual phone numbers you can call to book a car (more on that later).
• On the left side of the car plate, you’ve got a metal sign with the number of the medallion for the specific taxi driver.
• Other car doors will have a sticker with the authorization number by the city of Rome. This is typically a three or four-digit number (you can see it in the opening photo, it’s black on a white rectangle on a red banner). Below it you will see the official prices for both airports. The picture above is a little outdated, because if you zoom in you will see that the prices are lower. The official fare for Fiumicino is 51 Euros now if you’re destination is within the city walls.
• As an added bonus, most taxis are bookable through a third-party app, the logos of which will feature prominently on the car itself. In the photos above, said logos are both on the door and the back window.

As you can see, if someone wanted to “impersonate” a taxi driver they would have to work hard to have all of the above on their white regular car and be… believable!

What usually happens when a tourist falls prey to an unofficial taxi is they don’t know all of these IDs (and there are more on the inside of the car, too!) so they don’t pay attention whether or not they are all there.

Our suggestion: get familiar with all the features on the outside of a car before jumping into one.

How to board/book a taxi

So, in your country it’s probably common to flag down a taxi when you see one driving by, when you’re in a hurry and whatnot. In Italy, it doesn’t quite work like that. Actually, this is a surefire way to happen upon some unofficial taxis, because the rule is a) you either book an official one from a distance (be it through the phone or an app) or b) you will board one from a designated stand/rank.

See, a taxi driver won’t even stop for you when you try to flag them down, however those who do may recognize from that simple gesture that you’re not a local and try to take advantage of that. Of course there’s also a chance the taxi driver in question is honestly trying to help, but why risk it? On top of this, you may have to pay whatever the taxi was already charging when you stopped it, so, once again: use the local methods! They are as follows.

Local method number one: call a taxi company

This is not recommended if you don’t speak Italian or don’t have a local that can help with that kind of conversation.

If you have an Italian SIM on your mobile phone you can call any company from the short list above: 063570, 068822, 065551, 066645… Oh, did you know the city of Rome has taxi drivers of its own? The number to call is 060609.

Local method number two: use a dedicated app

The main apps for booking a taxi in Italy are ITTaxi or FreeNow. If you’re familiar with how the Uber app works, their user interface is very much the same. You can book, pay and see the real time location of your taxi driver through the app.

We recommend this method because it’s cashless and easy enough even if you don’t talk any Italian. One thing of note is not all taxi drivers participate in this particular scheme, so the number of cars available on the app during peak hours may be significantly lower. If that happens to you, be patient and keep checking your app. Or…

Local method number three: walk to a taxi stand

Designated taxi stands are scattered throughout the city and they’re no more than 5 minutes apart from each other in the city center. They’re always recognizable because of the dark orange “taxi” sign you can see in both pictures for this post.

Something of note to keep in mind, as to avoid any disappointment: in Italy, the fare starts as soon as you book a taxi, so if you’re wondering why the meter is already charging several Euros, you’re not being swindled: the driver has calculated how much it was for them to get to you. The only way to avoid this is, indeed, boarding a taxi from one of the stands.

How much to pay for a taxi ride in Rome?

We know most visitors hate when an Italian answers “that depends”… However, with taxis this is unavoidable. There are simply too many elements to consider. This is because taxi fares have a fixed rate per minute, but then you need to calculate a number of surcharges. Some of these apply if you’re traveling on a Sunday, or after 10PM, or from a certain destination (say, the main train station at Termini), or again if you need to put some luggage in the trunk.

If you have some time to spare, this page from the official Tourist Board of Rome has more information on taxi fares and, unlike other web pages, it’s recently updated. Keep in mind that taxis will have a copy of this list aboard.

Things that are useful to know about local taxis:

• If you’re afraid your driver won’t have a card terminal, try to have small denomination bills on you, like 20 Euros rather than 50. Easier to pay and you don’t put yourself in the position of being “accidentally” given the wrong change (read on!). Keep in mind that card payments are more common than ever on taxis now, so the chances of this happening are slim to none. Still, it’s better to be prepared!
•  If you’re traveling with small children or infants, try to check with the app or the company you’re booking with whether children’s car seats are available (spoiler alert: they’re usually not, but it doesn’t hurt to ask)
• If you’re traveling in a group and you don’t want to get separated, most companies can provide you with a taxi van. Their numbers are however limited, so if this is your preference you will need to book one ahead of time, either through the phone or an app.

Finally, some extra tips on dealing with taxi drivers

1. Get familiar with our Euro bills. Some visitors were scammed in the past because they were told by their taxi drivers that they paid with a 10 Euro bill instead than a 50, or a 5 instead of a 50! This is why we suggest carrying small denomination bills, or paying with a card. If neither is an option say in a loud voice “sorry I just have a 50 note” (“scusi, ho solo una da 50”).
2. Not all routes are taken to trick you into paying more. Sometimes a driver will take a road you’re not familiar with, but this doesn’t necessarily mean they want to make you pay more money. Sometimes the quicker route will be disrupted and they will know because they’re locals. Unless you know the city extremely well, don’t assume certain decisions are made to short-change you.
3. Feel like something is off? Be subtle and note down the medallion for the taxi driver, or the license ID by the city of Rome. You can do this even before boarding, as a “just in case”.

On the other hand, don’t trust a taxi driver if:

1. They approach you – trust us, they don’t need to do that if they’re licensed, so if something like this happens, say you’re not interested or make an excuse (ex. you’ve already booked a car, you’re waiting for a relative to pick you up…)
2. They offer a fixed rate. Unless it’s from or to the airports, this only advantages them!
3. They ask for a tip. You’re not supposed to give one. Like in restaurants, if you feel like they went above and beyond their job description, you can round up the amount you need to pay to the nearest whole sum, but never for more than 2 Euros (in that case, it really must have been an outstanding ride!).

The video above refers to a taxi in Naples, but these scams are common everywhere tourists abound.

Is there something you feel we’ve missed? Do you have questions about taxis in Rome? Feel free to leave a comment!