Taxis in Rome is a story with many facets!
- It's a fact that prices are OK'd by the city Government, but the taxi lobby is rather strong and it often gets through with its demands. I remember a strike a few years ago when the city decided that the number of cabs working through the night would no longer be regulated (at the time, there were no more than 200-300 taxis during the night in an urbam area of about 3.5 million). I remember once walking at around 1 pm from Prati across P.za del Popolo all the way to Termini to find a cab to get to the Africano where I lived.
- When cabs started the fixed rate to/from FCO about 10-15 years ago, it was set at 30 Euro. Private cars used to charge 40, but that also applied for neighborhoods close to, but outside the Aurelian walls. Then, just a few years later, cabs went up to 48 all of a sudden, while private cars still often charge less than that. I always would choose a taxi from FCO but I'd prefer a private one to FCO, especially from outside the walls (which is where the hotel I usually stay at is). With the unpredictable traffic, a metered trip to FCO may go up a lot, especially since they'll add the price to the hotel. In the other direction, though, you don't have to rely of your driver being there, etc., you just hop on a cab as you step out of the terminal.
- The quality of Roman cabs has gone up a lot. You hardly ever see one of those dilapidated cars you used to, not most if not all are new, well serviced with lots of space (I love getting a Multipla
).