Taxi drivers to protest in Rome on day of strike.
Taxi drivers in Italy are to stage a national strike on Tuesday 13 January to demand stricter regulations for multinational ride-hailing apps, trade unions have confirmed.
The industrial action, called by 18 unions representing cab drivers, is scheduled from 08.00 to 22.00 and will involve all regions except Umbria.
Taxi drivers are set to protest in Rome on the day of the strike, with a convoy of 50 taxis leaving Fiumicino airport at 08.00 and heading to Piazza Bocca della Verità before drivers stage a sit-in near parliament, newspaper Corriere della Sera reports.
In an implicit reference to Uber, unions say that taxis are part of “a regulated public service, with fares set by the city, inspections, safety requirements, and clear responsibilities toward users”, claiming that this model is being challenged by “the aggressive entry of private multinationals aiming to replace a public service with platforms driven by algorithms and profit-driven logic.”
Unions said they are striking “to defend a safe, transparent and fair public service that belongs to the city, not to companies operating in tax havens”, with a series of demands including greater action against illegality, and stiffer rules regulating technology platforms, “preventing the excessive power of algorithms”.
