«Few cars, now the cities receive rewards and penalties based on their fleets»

«Licenses have increased, but they are still insufficient. We need more taxis." Nicola Zaccheo, president of the Transport Regulatory Authority, starts from the results of the new survey on the sector that Il Sole24Ore anticipates on this page, to also announce the proposals that the Art will bring to the Government and Parliament: prizes and penalties for Municipalities based on the number of white cars available compared to a benchmark, connected taximeters and a direct role of the Authority in regulating the platforms.

President, is the increase in licenses that Art certifies in this new survey enough to cover demand?

The situation has improved compared to the past, but the number is still insufficient. In Rome we see it every day: despite the additional licenses, there is still a need to increase the contingent. In our opinion at the Capitol we had indicated the need for over two thousand additional licenses. We hope that the Municipalities will ask us for further increases, but we have no tools to force them to do so.

Do you mean that new powers are needed for the Authority?

There is regulation and it must preserve the autonomy of local authorities. Our opinions are conclusive and we can appeal to the TAR if the provisions are not respected. The guidelines on the taxi service have helped the Municipalities to improve regulations and rates, and the dialogue has also grown a lot. The point on which we can do little, however, remains the decisive one: the initiative to increase the number of taxis.