A neighboring shopkeeper once called taxi drivers in Rome – “ladri patentati” – licensed thieves. In Rome whenever you climb into a cab it is definitely caveat emptor. But sometimes you just need a cab, don’t you? Is there anything on earth more convenient than simply throwing out your hand and having someone pull over and drive you where you want to go as you lounge in the back, staring out the windows at the passing scenery?
As someone who lives in the center of Rome with no car, for the last decade I’ve taken several cabs a week in the Ancient City. Although my Italian is fluent, I didn’t learn it until my early 30′s and so my accent always gives me away as a foreigner (my clothes probably don’t help either…never have managed to look as elegant as the average Italian guy in a suit). As soon as they see I’m a foreigner their eyes become slot machine windows, little euro symbols spinning across them. Most of these guys are lucky if they have the IQ of a Neanderthal on Quaaludes, so the fact that my Italian is almost flawless doesn’t even register. I’m a foreigner ergo easy prey.
There’s one thing you have to realize about Rome and Romans. This city has been a tourist Mecca for over 2000 years and a large slice of Romans have long lived off the fat wallets of pilgrims. It’s in their blood. And by god they mean to extract as much out of you as they can, mercilessly. Now I certainly don’t mean to say all Romans are like this, Rome is filled with wonderful people and has a justifiably proud tradition of salt-of-the-earth, hard-working, honest and delightfully rough around the edges citizens. Many of them are my friends. But as a foreigner who has lived here over a decade I’ve had more than my share of mishaps at the hands of the bad ones. And when it comes to taxis, I’ve seen pretty much all the tricks, so here is a little guide to help you muddle through.
Let me start my tips by saying that there are two philosophies. Some say the amount you will ultimately be overcharged is a pittance; that it’s better to just sit back and relax, accepting that you will pay a bit too much. This is wise counsel. However, if you want to really know what the score is and what the tricks are, keep reading.
First a few ground rules:
Rule #1 – About 50% of cabbies are honest. The corollary obviously being that the other half are out to get you.
Rule #2 – The nicer they are, the more you should be on your guard, especially if they speak a bit of English. The honest ones are gruff and typically don’t talk, they just grunt.
Rule #3 – The worst cabbies in Rome hang out in the following places: Ciampino airport, Coliseum, right side of Termini train station (front is okay), in front of St. Peter’s and the right-side of Pantheon. NEVER get in these cabs. A general rule is that it’s much better to spend a few minutes hailing passing cabs on a busy street until one stops than to get one at a cab stand as you just might find yourself at one of the stands where the criminal cabbies hang out.
Rule #4 – If a cab is called for you (by your hotel for example); the meter starts from when they take the call, allowing for ALL kinds of mischief on the meter. Don’t be surprised if the guy pulls up in a few minutes and the meter is already at 8 or 10 Euros when it should be at about 4! Thus it is almost always better to get passing cabs off the street. There are usually enough passing by unless it’s raining, in which case, good luck.
Tariffs:
NORMAL FARE:
If you get in at a stand or hail one off the street the base tariff is:
- €2.80, 7AM to 10PM Mon-Sat.
- €4.00, 7AM to 10PM Sundays and Holidays.
- €5.80, 10PM to 7AM, 365 days a year.
SUPPLEMENTS:
- First luggage free, €1 per bag after that if they are bigger than 14 x 10 x 20 inches. That’s pretty small.
- €2 more for trips starting from Termini train station.
- €1 for each passenger over 4.
DISTANCE: It’s about one euro per kilometer.
Airports and their fixed tariffs:
Avoid like the plague the “Hey mister, taxi?” guys that hang out just inside and outside the terminal. They are private drivers and typically will charge you €100 for what is a fixed €40 taxi ride. They often are not even licensed. If you get in an accident and get hurt, there may be no insurance and you’ll be suing a guy who probably lives with his mom!
In my opinion, you are best off with a private driver. They typically charge more, but you have someone waiting for you and if you choose a good service, they will have a nice, clean, late-model Mercedes with a driver who at most smells of cologne.
Between Fiumicino airport and the center of Rome (no intermediate stops, anywhere inside the Aurelian walls which is surely going to include you unless you’re out at some hotel in nosebleed) either direction is €40 flat, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, up to 4 people, luggage included IF it is a “Commune di Roma” licensed taxi. 95% of them are, but if it is licensed “Commune di Fiumicino” the cost is €60!
About half of the cabbies at Fiumicino are okay. Don’t worry if they leave the meter running, they often do that, it’s not even worth worrying about. Just pay them their due at the end and ignore any protestations. The bad ones will try to do the following:
a) Run the meter and try to make you pay what it says;
b) Try to get you to agree to a higher price at the outset;
c) Try to charge you more claiming that it is evening or Sunday or holiday;
d) Try to charge you for your luggage;
e) Try to charge you for extra people even though you are 4 or less;
f) Claim they don’t have change.
This last point is very important. Make sure you have exactly €40 on you. An easy way to do this is to hit the cash machine (to the right as you get out of baggage claim) on your way out, being sure to get a multiple that will insure you get some twenties! Like €240 for example. Now, if you get a nice cabbie give them a €2-€5 tip depending on how many people and luggage you had and they will be very happy. If you need a receipt say “Una ricevuta per favore” (BTW that’s pronounced reeshevoota).
Between Ciampino airport and the center of Rome no intermediate stops (you might go out of or come in to this one if you are doing a low-cost European flight on Easy Jet or Ryan Air) either direction is €30 flat, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, up to 4 people, luggage included. The bad ones will do all of what you see above and worse. The problem is they are almost ALL bad out at Ciampino. I don’t know why it is this way, but I assure you it is a band of hooligans with nary a good apple in the bunch. I cannot recommend strongly enough that you arrange for a private driving service to pick you up if you are coming in to this airport or if on Ryan Air pay for their shuttle bus. You are 99% guaranteed to get a horrible cabbie that will try everything they can to screw you.
Tricks:
Here is a list of the most common tricks I have seen over the years:
1. Trying to get you to agree on a fixed price. Never do this. It is NOT in your favor and is actually illegal. Therefore, NEVER ask a cabbie, “How much to go to the Vatican?” Just get in the cab before you even tell them where you’re going. If they want to haggle on a price, shake your head no and say “Metta il tassometro” (turn on the meter). Keep repeating until they do it! If it’s during the day Monday through Saturday the meter should read €2.80 when they start.
2. Putting the fare on 02 instead of 01. This is the second most common trick. Fare 01 is anywhere inside the ring highway of Rome (heads up, driving ON the ring road is still fare 01), which is way out there. You should never be on fare 02 unless going out to Ostia Antica in a cab. It makes the price go up a lot faster. This number is in various places depending on the meter but is usually isolated and easily discernible on the newer LCD meters where it should say “tariffa” next to it. On some of the old meters it can be very hard to figure out. If you are in a cab with an old LED style meter it may be in the lower right-hand corner as the first digit of four numbers of which the other three are the minutes and seconds you have been in the cab. I think it took me two years to figure this out!
So if this one happens, kindly say “Metta la tariffa su uno” (put the tariff on one). The cabby will stare at the meter as if he’s seeing it for the first time in his life. He will make all manner of surprised noises as he changes it while protesting his ignorance and innocence.
3. Surreptitiously pushing the “supplementi” button. This is also fairly common. It adds a euro on every time they push it. It is designed for luggage (and passengers over 4), because unless you fall under the special airport tariff scheme, it is one euro for every piece of luggage over the first. Unfortunately this number just gets added in to the current tariff whenever the cabbie pushes the button! Thus be VERY LEERY of cabbies that have the meter in a place where it is somewhat obscured. A favorite is down by the gear shift, where they will tap the button every time they shift into second gear. I am not kidding! Another similar thing that is only found in the “Fiat Multipla” taxis is the trick of folding the middle seat forwards so it obscures your vision of the meter. They can then push away with abandon, put the tariff on 02, whatever. I once had a €20 ride to visit my wife in the hospital turn into a €45 ride this way. The cabbie even knew my situation and didn’t care! Did I already say that some of these guys are truly scum?
In this situation unfortunately you will not be able to enjoy your ride but will be forced instead to watch the cabbie like a hawk. If you see him doing it, well this one is a bit more complicated. You will need to say something like, “Per che un supplemento?” (why a supplement). After which he will say something unintelligible and hopefully not add anymore. If he does it again you could ask to get out. Say loudly “Fammi scendere (shenderay) adesso! Qui!” (let me out now, here). Give him what’s on the meter and pray for a better cabbie next time.
I hope these tips have kept you entertained, and remember, sometimes getting livid over a few Euros when you’re on vacation is simply not worth it. If you want to see the official page from the city of Rome that lists all the fees in English here it is: OFFICIAL TAXI TARIFS .
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