Few taxis, but also very few NCCs. For years, the number of white cars in service in Italy has been at the center of a heated debate on the inefficiencies of non-scheduled mobility, relaunched from time to time by merciless comparisons on the number of licenses in large cities. For example, the latest Art survey (June 2026) found one taxi for every 317 inhabitants in Rome, one for every 261 in Milan, and 2.6 cars for every thousand residents in Naples. Little is known, however, about the number of rental licenses with driver in relation to the potential users expressed by the tourist flow and overnight stays.
The study, edited by the transport economist Andrea Giuricin and Muoviti Italia, a civic coalition for the reform of urban mobility - according to which in the metropolitan city of Rome 33,823 tourist overnight stays are recorded every year for each NCC licence, almost ten times the figure for Madrid (3,416) and over 23 times that of Paris (1,462). A gap, explains a note "which highlights the structural deficiency of the non-scheduled mobility offer in the Capital, where the growth of tourist flows has not been accompanied by an adequate development of transport services".
The research analyzes the Italian scenario of non-scheduled mobility through a comparison with the main European realities, with a specific focus on Rome and Lazio, and highlights how the capital is significantly behind the main European tourist destinations, in a sector still regulated by legislation dating back to 1992. Rome «concentrates on average around 53 million tourist overnight stays per year, equal to over 86% of the total in Lazio, which reaches 61.5 million. A volume significantly higher than the 33.1 million in the Madrid region and close to the 65.8 million in the Paris area" considered in the study. Faced with this demand, however, "the availability of non-scheduled public transport services remains significantly lower".
Considering all the taxis and NCCs operating in the metropolitan city of Rome «5,177 overnight stays were recorded for each authorized vehicle, compared to 1,279 in Madrid and 1,013 in Paris. A ratio respectively four and five times higher than the two European realities. The gap also emerges with respect to the resident population: in Rome there is one taxi or NCC for every 410 inhabitants, compared to one for every 274 in Madrid and one for every 106 in Paris". Numbers which, according to the study, "confirm how the relative lack of supply is not exclusively linked to tourist pressure, but represents a structural criticality, with possible consequences on the accessibility and competitiveness of the Capital", concludes the note from Muoviti Italia.
«Rome is one of the main international tourist destinations, but continues to suffer from a non-scheduled mobility offer that is not adequate for the needs of a large European capital - underlines Giuricin, spokesperson for the coalition - The numbers demonstrate the need to overcome a system of constraints that limits the availability of services, penalizing citizens, tourists and businesses. Guaranteeing the right to mobility means expanding the possibilities of choice and enabling people to move in a simple, efficient and accessible way." It is necessary - he concludes - to intervene on a regulation that is now outdated, favoring a wider, more modern offer capable of adapting to demand. The objective must be to guarantee more services, greater accessibility and real freedom of choice for everyone, finally putting the needs of those who move at the centre."
